A year to the day after the Louisiana’s first confirmed case of COVID-19, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Tuesday (March 9) that the state is expanding vaccine eligibility effective immediately to all Louisiana residents 16 and older who have at least one of a list of complicating conditions.
Additionally, people who work in “congregant settings” – such as prisons and group homes – are also now eligible, Gov Edwards said.
All groups who were previously eligible for the vaccine remain eligible.
See below for a full list of the new eligibility requirements.
St. Tammany Health System is currently administering COVID vaccines at multiple sites across western St. Tammany Parish. Appointments are available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and should be made via
the free MyChart app. Those experiencing difficulty with the app can make an appointment by calling (985)898-4001, which is answered 24/7, although anticipated heavy call volumes may result in a longer-than-usual wait during peak hours.
“This has obviously been a year of grave loss and heartbreak, but we have come a long way since that first case a year ago,” Gov. Edwards said during his midday press briefing. “Most importantly, at least for me, is that we now have three safe and effective vaccines that are going to help us and the rest of the country – indeed, the rest of the world – put an end to the pandemic, and for that we can be very grateful.
“Indeed, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
See below for the state’s new, expanded vaccine eligibility. All of those receiving the vaccine because of complicating medical factors must sign a form attesting that they meet guidelines.
Additionally, only the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for patients under 18.
Eligibility by age or condition
- People 65 and older
- Dialysis providers and patients
- Pregnant people
People with certain medical conditions
- People 18-64 (or 16+ for Pfizer vaccine only) with at least one of the conditions listed below by the CDC. To receive the vaccine, people with these underlying medical conditions should complete the Louisiana COVID-19 Vaccine Attestation Form before their appointment.
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Down syndrome
- Heart conditions including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30kg/m2 or higher
- Sickle cell disease
- Current of former smoker
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
- Chronic liver disease
- Overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2, but < 30 kg/m2)
- Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
- Severe neurologic conditions such as dementia
- Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Eligibility by workforce category
- Ambulatory and outpatient providers and staff
- Dialysis providers
- Behavioral health providers and staff
- Urgent care clinic providers and staff
- Community care providers and staff
- Dental providers and staff
- Non-emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) providers and staff
- Professional home care providers (including hospice workers) and home care recipients (including older and younger people with disabilities over the age of 16 who receive community or home-based care, as well as clients of home health agencies)
- American Sign Language (ASL) and foreign language interpreters and Support Service Providers (SSPs) working in community and clinic-based settings, and clients who are both deaf and blind
- Health-related support personnel (lab staff, mortuary staff who have contact with corpses, pharmacy staff)
- Schools of allied health students, residents and staff
- Law enforcement and other first responders
- Louisiana Unified Command Group
- State Legislators
- State and local essential COVID emergency response personnel
- Some elections staff ahead of March and April elections
- Teachers and any other support staff working on site in K-12 or daycare