Louisiana will expand vaccine eligibility to essential workers beginning Monday, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Thursday.
People newly eligible for vaccine include:
- Higher Education faculty/staff
- Food and agricultural workers
- Food service (restaurant/bar) workers
- Hotel workers
- Judiciary workers
- Postal workers
- Manufacturing workers
- Grocery store workers
- Transportation workers, including river pilots
- Water and wastewater workers
- Energy workers
- Bank tellers
- Construction workers
- Clergy
- IT and communications workers
- Media workers
- Public safety engineers and other workers
- Public health workers
- Frontline government workers
- Child, youth and family service workers
- Veterinarians and support staff
- Waste management workers
- Public and private security and emergency preparedness workers
Edwards said this will most likely be the last expansion before opening vaccinations to everyone age 16 and older in the state.
“Up until now, we’ve been real limited with vaccine,” Dr. Joseph Kanter, state health officer, said. “By the beginning of April, we’re going to have a significant increases.”
The Pfizer can be administered to 16- and 17-year olds. Vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson can be administered to any age 18 and older.
Edwards also announced a new strategy to use state-gathered data and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s social vulnerability index to get vaccines to communities with low vaccine uptake, to direct outreach in those areas, and to set up vaccination events.
Vaccination events are already scheduled for the second and third weeks in April. The State has secured partnerships with 20 organizations including the NAACP of Louisiana, Viet, the state’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, the Hispanic Health Equity Task Force, Together Louisiana and local entities like Nola Read and the Baton Rouge Health Equity Vaccine Task Force.
Consult our vaccination guide for the full list of eligibility requirements and vaccine providers.
