COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Expanded in Louisiana, But Availability Remains Limited

Louisiana Department of Health

The Louisiana Department of Health is coordinating the COVID-19 Vaccine distribution effort in Louisiana. As more vaccines become available from the CDC, more individuals and groups will be offered a vaccination.

Limited amounts of COVID Vaccines are available at select locations only for:
• Persons 65 and older
• Dialysis providers and patients
• Ambulatory and outpatient providers and staff
• 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 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
• All pregnant persons
• Individuals ages 55-64 with at least one of the conditions listed by the CDC as placing them at an “increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19”. Persons with the following qualifying underlying medical conditions are advised to complete the Louisiana COVID-19 Vaccine Attestation Form, before their appointment, to receive the vaccine:
• 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 but less than 40kg/m2)
• Severe obesity (BMI greater than 40kg/m2)
• Sickle cell disease
• Smoking
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Patients must contact a participating location and make an appointment at the location. Do not arrive at a location without an appointment. LDH cannot make appointments for residents; only participating locations can. Appointments do not have to be made to receive the second dose of the vaccine. Second doses are given at the same location a person receives their first dose and the appointment for the second dose will be made during the appointment for the first dose.