COVID vaccine — one year later

After a year, more than 2.29 million Louisianans — nearly 50 percent of the state’s population — became fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to LDH.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and LDH say Louisiana has seen a decrease in the number of people hospitalized with COVID and in the percent of COVID tests that are positive.
The vast majority of COVID hospitalizations, cases and deaths are in those who have not yet been vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccinations began on Dec. 14, 2020, and since that day more than 4.7 million doses have been administered in Louisiana alone. More than 2.5 million Louisianans have at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 544,000 booster doses have been administered.
According to the CDC, nearly 25 percent of Louisiana’s eligible population has received a booster dose.
In addition to a nearly eight-fold decrease in COVID hospitalizations today when compared to a year ago, the percent of COVID tests that were positive in Louisiana was nearly 10 percent a year ago, which signals out-of-control community spread.
On Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021, the state’s percent positivity was 2.3 percent, which signals a much lower risk level across Louisiana.
“One year ago, I was proud and hopeful as I witnessed Nurse Deborah Ford receive the first COVID-19 vaccine dose in the state of Louisiana. Since that day, I am proud to see that more than 2.29 million Louisianans have gone sleeves up and are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Just one year ago today, we had 1,527 people hospitalized with COVID. Today, thanks to the vaccine, that number is below 200,” Edwards said Tuesday.
“That is not to say the past year has not been without tragedy and loss. We’ve seen more than 500,000 COVID infections in Louisiana in the last year, and we’ve lost at least 8,052 Louisianans in that time alone.
“As has been true since the start of the pandemic, the vast majority of people who have died or become critically ill from COVID were not vaccinated — either because the vaccine was not available in the early months of the pandemic or they simply had not taken it yet. Fortunately, the vaccines are here and widely available now, and the importance of taking the vaccines along with the boosters when eligible simply cannot be stressed enough, especially now that the Omicron variant is here.
“They are our best and most effective path of protection for ourselves, loved ones and community.
Everyone aged 5 and older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Louisiana. The FDA has only authorized one of the three COVID-19 vaccines — from Pfizer — for children ages 5 to 17. Parents should confirm with the vaccine provider that their child is under 18 to ensure Pfizer vaccine is available before making an appointment.
COVID-19 vaccines are widely available at more than 1,000 locations in all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, including at pharmacies, hospitals, health care clinics, and doctor’s offices.
For a list of locations, visit LDH’s vaccine directory or visit vaccines.gov, which is maintained by the federal government.
To get a list of vaccine locations near you text your ZIP code to GETVAX (438829) in English, or VACUNA (822862) in Spanish.
If you have questions, would like to speak with a medical professional, or need help scheduling an appointment, call 211 or Louisiana’s vaccine hotline at 1-855-453-0774.