Louisiana has not discovered any cases of the Omicron COVID strain, but Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says that's not keeping them from getting ready for a possible fifth surge. And he says the majority of residents can help with that.
"Your best protection against COVID-19, regardless of the variant, that you're thinking about or that you might be exposed to, whether it's Delta, Omicron, or anything else, is to get yourself vaccinated," said Edwards.
During the fourth surge of cases over the summer, the governor said that it was largely a pandemic of the unvaccinated -- more than 80 percent of COVID hospitalizations during that time were people who had not had all their shots. So the more people who are vaccinated, he says, the less likely it is that there will be a fifth surge.
But at the moment, less than half of the state has had all the recommended shots.
"Forty-nine percent of Louisiana's population is fully vaccinated," Edwards said. "Clearly, that's not enough."
And after being fully vaccinated, the governor says everyone 18 and older should get a booster shot six months later.
