BATON ROUGE, La. – Hours and times are scaling back at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center vaccine site in Ascension Parish, though the Pfizer/BioNTech shot newly available to those 12 and older is being offered there, parish officials said.
Starting next week, times for the walk-in COVID-19 vaccination center at Lamar-Dixon will run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, parish officials said in a statement Friday.
Currently, the center just outside Gonzales is open four more hours each day and also open on Mondays.
The Louisiana National Guard is administering and coordinating the vaccines at the parish government-owned multi-use complex. Parish officials said the Guard sets the hours.
Demand for vaccinations has slacked off statewide, and parish officials urged residents to get inoculated so the parish and state can open up further socially and economically.
Under the latest state virus statistics, Ascension remains one of six parishes in Louisiana deemed to have the highest community risk for the continued spread of coronavirus.
Only one other parish in the Baton Rouge area, Pointe Coupee, falls in the highest risk category, though several others, including East Baton Rouge and Livingston, have the next-highest risk level. The categories are based on test positivity and case rates.
Ascension’s completed vaccination rate of 28% is about two percentage points below the state average and 3.6 points below the regional average.
Vaccinations at Lamar-Dixon, 9039 S. St. Landry Ave., Gonzales, are expected to continue through June 5.
The other parish government distribution site, the Ascension Parish Health Unit in Gonzales, offers the Moderna vaccine by appointment, parish officials said.
Moderna shots are authorized for anyone 18 years and older.
The health unit is located at 1024 S. East Ascension Complex Blvd., Gonzales. Call (225) 450-1425 to book an appointment.
