Health Care
Louisiana pharmacies overwhelmed as COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expands
Louisiana pharmacies selected to receive COVID-19 vaccinations that can be used to inoculate people 70 years old and above were inundated with phone calls after the state made their business names and locations public Monday morning (Jan. 4). “The phone just doesn’t stop ringing,” said pharmacist Constance Rabalais of Sentry Drug of Marksville. “I’ve never […]
7 Things You Need To Know About Louisiana’s COVID-19 Vaccine Plan
Louisiana is entering its fourth week of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, and the number of people who qualify for the first vaccine shot is tripling. An additional 640,000 people in Louisiana are now eligible to receive the first shot of the vaccines starting Monday (Jan. 4) — bringing the total number of people who are eligible […]
Mass COVID-19 vaccine distribution ‘could take some time’ as hospitalizations surge
The Pfizer vaccine may be coming to Louisiana as soon as this weekend, but mass distribution is still several months away, Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. “Everybody needs to have that clear expectation from the outset,” Edwards said. “It’s really important that we start administering the vaccine, but it’s […]
When can children get the COVID-19 vaccine? 5 questions parents are asking
Wesley Kufel, Binghamton University, State University of New York The first U.S. COVID-19 vaccines are expected in clinics in mid-December, and states are drawing up plans for who should get vaccinated first. But one important group is absent: children. While two vaccines are expected to be cleared soon for adult use in the U.S., testing […]
Louisiana state treasurer released from hospital
Louisiana State Treasurer John Schroder has returned home Friday after being hospitalized with complications from COVID-19. “I’m feeling much better and want to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for me. Health care workers are the true heroes of this pandemic,” Schroder said in a written statement. Schroder’s office announced the treasurer, 59, had […]
Will Louisiana residents line up for the vaccine or wait and see?
With the first batch of a COVID-19 vaccine expected to arrive in Louisiana over the next two weeks and for wider distribution by spring, will Louisiana residents immediately take advantage of it or hold off due to concerns over the experimental drug’s speedy approval? On Nov. 19, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that Louisiana could […]
Lafayette area ICU hospital beds are at 97 percent capacity
The Lafayette area’s ICU hospital beds are at 97 percent capacity, meaning only four beds are available in the region, the Louisiana Department of Health reported Wednesday . However, a spokesperson for Lafayette General Health — one of the region’s local hospitals — said LDH’s numbers can be “a little misleading.” Patricia Thompson, director of […]
‘Every single one’ of Louisiana’s hospitals at risk of overflow
Gov. John Bel Edwards expressed deep concern Thursday about the continuous increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations across Louisiana, which have climbed by nearly 30 percent over the last seven days and are bringing hospitals to the brink of patient overflow. At a press conference Thursday, the governor reported 929 patients in hospitals due to COVID-19, an […]
Louisiana prisons hastily pull plug on resuming family visits during COVID-19
Louisiana prisons have been preparing for about a month to resume family visits during the week of Thanksgiving after suspending them over eight months ago. But prison officials hastily pulled back on those plans Thursday, saying family visits would no longer take place in a few days. The prison system is worried about the rising […]
The Supreme Court could strike down Obamacare. Here’s what’s at stake.
WASHINGTON—The fate of the sweeping 2010 health care law known as Obamacare is again in limbo, with the Supreme Court on Tuesday set to hear arguments over whether that statute should be overturned. States are at the heart of the case and nearly every one has made an argument about why Obamacare should be kept […]
Governor vetoes bill to give legislators power over COVID-19 restrictions
Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed legislation Tuesday that gives legislators the power to rescind COVID-19 restrictions and weakens his authority over emergencies overall. “I have said repeatedly that an emergency cannot be managed by committee and that is exactly what this bill would allow,” wrote the governor in his veto explanation to the legislature. Edwards […]
State health department to stress the importance of flu shots in series of virtual town hall events
The Louisiana Department of Health and Louisiana Public Health Institute will host three virtual town halls over the next few weeks “to educate the community about the importance of getting the flu vaccine this year, especially given the similarities between flu symptoms and COVID-19 symptoms.” The virtual town halls, titled “Protecting our Communities from the […]