Louisiana Governor John Bell Edwards expands the vaccination eligibility group to include more Louisiana residents.
At a media conference on Tuesday, Governor Edwards announced he is expanding the eligibility so that more people qualify for the vaccine.
“Effective immediately, all Louisianians 16 and older with certain health conditions that will make them more likely to suffer serious complications from COVID-19; so those who are more vulnerable to the disease will be eligible to receive the vaccine,” said Edwards.
According to the Louisiana Department of Health website, Louisiana residents 18-64 with at least one of the conditions listed by the CDC are eligible for the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccine, while people 16-years-old and older with certain medical conditions are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine only. People who already qualify under the previous eligibility will remain eligible under this new expansion.
To receive the vaccine, people with these underlying medical conditions should complete the Louisiana COVID-19 Vaccine Attestation Form before their appointment.
Below is a list of vaccine eligible medical conditions:
- moderate to severe asthma
- cerebrovascular disease
- cystic fibrosis
- hypertension or high blood pressure
- immunocompromised state from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of - corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
- neurologic conditions, such as dementia
- liver disease
- overweight
- pulmonary fibrosis
- thalassemia
- type 1 diabetes mellitus
- cancer
- chronic kidney disease
- sickle cell disease
- current or former smoker
- cerebrovascular
- heart conditions including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
- down syndrome
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
On Monday, media outlet reports revealed an email sent by the Louisiana Independent Pharmacies Association to the 400 pharmacies across the state; alerted them to prepare for the possible expansion of vaccinations ahead of the governor’s announcement today.
Click here to find out more on the location of vaccination sites.
