LOUISIANA – With vaccine distribution in Louisiana well underway, the Louisiana Hospital Association (LHA) has released recommendations for the public to follow for accessing the COVID-19 vaccine to help streamline the vaccination process.
“While providing 24-hour medical care to both COVID and non-COVID patients, Louisiana frontline caregivers are also working to educate the public on the safety and effectiveness of the COVID vaccine, as well as vaccinate as many people in their communities as possible,” said LHA President & CEO Paul Salles.
“They’re excited to see growing public interest in getting vaccinated, which will help stop the spread of COVID-19 and improve Louisiana’s health and economic growth.” LHA COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations:
• Do your research. Check the websites and social media accounts of your local hospital, physician’s office and the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) for updates on vaccine locations. Participating pharmacies can be viewed at https://ldh.la.gov/covidvaccine-locations/.
• Check your eligibility. In early January, LDH expanded vaccine eligibility to people in the community who are age 70 or older. LDH will expand eligibility in phases, so check https://ldh.la.gov/covidvaccine for updates.
• Schedule an appointment online or by phone in advance. Please do not arrive at your hospital, pharmacy or healthcare provider’s office looking for information or to receive the vaccine without an appointment.
• Do not get discouraged; initial vaccine supplies are limited. Public health officials are working daily to distribute more vaccine statewide.
• Follow public health measures to keep your family and community safe. Louisiana is experiencing the largest sustained surge in COVID hospital admissions to date, and an increase in the number of hospitalizations affects everyone, not just individuals with COVID-19. As more beds and resources are used to treat COVID patients, fewer beds and resources are available for other healthcare emergencies, like car accidents or heart attacks.
“It is critically important that Louisianians take proper precautions and practice social distancing to ensure that precious hospital resources are available for those who need them,” said Salles. “The best ‘thank you’ that you can provide our frontline caregivers is doing your part to stop the spread.”
