COVID vaccines will be available to all Louisianans aged 16 and over next week | Coronavirus

All Louisianans over the age of 16 will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine starting next week, Governor John Bel Edwards announced on Wednesday, making the state one of the first in the U.S. to extend vaccines to anyone it wants after that. Joe Biden’s administration told governors they would be receiving a record batch of doses.

The move came weeks earlier than expected, with the state easily beating Biden’s May goal of opening kicks for everyone. Edwards’ management expects a record of nearly 150,000 doses of the three vaccines authorized in the next week, including more than 26,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine.

“It is a surprise to get here as soon as we arrive,” said Edwards. The extended qualification starts on Monday.

“On Monday, no one has to ask whether they are eligible. They just need to know their age. If they are 16 or older, they are eligible. “

The expansion also comes after Louisiana fell to 40th place in the country in the portion of its population that received at least one injection, according to data from the United States’ Center for Disease Control. About 23.5% of Louisiana residents received at least one injection, compared with almost 26% of Americans.

Until recently, Louisiana was in the middle of the group in its acceptance rate.

The drop in ratings raised concerns that hesitation about getting vaccinated is starting to hamper Louisiana’s efforts to quickly immunize the overwhelming majority of its residents.

“I think there is some concern that we have reaped the easiest to find fruits. And a lot of that was in the older age groups that had a very strong reason why they wanted to be vaccinated, ”said Dr. Susan Hassig, associate professor of epidemiology at Tulane University.

Hassig said it appears that there is a slow demand for vaccines in some parts of the state. Even with the state expanding vaccines to everyone, she said the authorities would still find it difficult to reach people. This will have to include things like mobile vaccine locations to reach communities where few people are looking for vaccines, she said.

“It won’t be anymore ‘here are the vaccines, come and try’ as an approach,” said Hassig. “You are going to have to find people where they are.”

The state is embarking on such an effort, sending people to distant parts of the state to knock on doors, educate people and enlist them for injections. The first wave of pilot programs will be launched next week in nine impoverished parishes across the state.

Dr. Joe Kanter, the state health officer, said officials are using detailed census sector vaccination data to target parts of the state where absorption is low, data that the Department of Health will post on the public panel on Thursday. .

In New Orleans, the first pilot program will be launched at CEP 70127, in New Orleans East. In Baton Rouge, postal code 70807 that covers much of Scotlandville and Southern University will obtain the funds. In Acadiana, the ZIP Code 70582 of the Parish of São Martinho will have a pilot program.

Edwards had already given the vast majority of Louisianans access to the COVID vaccine this week, extending eligibility to more than two dozen types of essential workers. Previously, people aged 16 and over with a long list of health problems, including a generous overweight threshold, could get vaccinations, along with the elderly and others.

The decision to expand eligibility came after the White House informed governors across the country that they will receive more doses next week. Arizona, Texas and Georgia announced this week that they would open the photos for everyone.

The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been authorized for adults only, while the Pfizer vaccine has been released by regulators for people aged 16 and over.

Louisiana’s COVID trends have improved as a large part of the elderly population has been vaccinated. Hospitalizations were at 413 in Wednesday’s report, which is more than the day before, but much less than any previous drop since the pandemic began. Hospitalizations in early January exceeded 2,000.

At the same time, Kanter said he is concerned about parts of the state, specifically southwestern Louisiana, which are seeing increases in hospitalizations. He said the state is in a “race against time” and against the so-called British variant of COVID, which is more transmissible and virulent than the most common strain that has been in circulation for over a year.

In addition to the nearly 150,000 shots from the feds, Louisiana will also “recover” some 32,000 shots that have not been used by nursing homes across the state as part of a federal program, said Kanter.

Kanter said he is still excited that the hesitation about the vaccine appears to be easing as more people see their friends and family get vaccinated. In focus groups, he said people rarely say they will never be vaccinated, only that they “don’t know,” he said, which gives the Health Department the opportunity to persuade them.

A year ago, Edwards implemented a stay-at-home order that lasted until May 15, as the virus spread throughout New Orleans and surrounding areas.

On Wednesday, he noted that he asked residents for more than a year to “do their part” to limit the spread of the virus. Now, that means getting vaccinated, he said.

“Don’t lie back with the calculation that ‘I’m going to let other people be vaccinated until we achieve collective immunity,'” said Edwards. “If enough people take this approach, we will never get there.”