BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the state Thursday ahead of the new year after Louisiana saw its largest case count in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic.

Though the deadly virus continues to spread statewide, Governor Edwards said Louisiana is set to receive more Moderna vaccines next week.

One hundred pharmacies throughout Louisiana will receive the vaccine to administer to the next priority group, which includes adults 70 years old and up.

The first supply of the vaccine will be limited, so those interested in getting the vaccine will be required to contact a designated pharmacy to make an appointment before going in to be vaccinated. 

Currently, only people in Priority Group 1-B, Tier One, which is people 70 years and older and ambulatory and outpatient health care personnel, will be able to get the COVID vaccine at a designated pharmacy with an appointment scheduled prior to arrival.

Beginning Monday, January 4, the Louisiana Department of Health will list pharmacies where the COVID vaccine is available on its website, covidvaccine.la.gov. 

In the initial Phase 1B, LDH anticipates that approximately 100 pharmacies in 52 parishes will receive around 10,500 doses total in the first week. Each eligible pharmacy is set to receive approximately 100 doses.

In the initial first two weeks of vaccinations, over 45,000 Louisiana residents received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. A second dose must be administered for people to gain fuller protection from COVID, according to the CDC.

Over 210,000 doses have been allocated for Louisiana, of which 56,200 have been designated for the federal Long Term Care Facilities partnership and reside with Walgreens and CVS. 

PRIORITY GROUPS IN LOUISIANA

Priority Group 1-A: Ongoing (around 249,000 eligible people)

- Health care workers at Tier 1 and Tier 2 hospitals

- Staff and residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities

- Emergency Medical Services employees and firefighters

Priority Group 1-B, Tier One: Starts Monday, January 4, 2021 (around 640,000 eligible people)

- Schools of allied health students, residents and staff

- End stage renal disease facility personnel and patients

- Home agency patients and personnel

- Ambulatory and outpatient health care personnel

- Persons 70 years old and older

Priority Group 1-B, Tier Two: Starts at a later date (around 318,750 eligible people)

- Health-related support personnel (labs, mortuary, pharmacy)

- Essential governmental response personnel

- Judiciary personnel

- Department of Homeland Security personnel, National Guard (non-COVID deployed), federal intelligence and security personnel, military personnel

- First responders not covered in Phase 1A

- Corrections officers and jailers

- Medical transportation services

- Homeless shelter and other congregate group home/center staff

- K-12 school and daycare personnel

- Food processing and agricultural workers

- Postal personnel

- Public transit workers

- Grocery store workers and other deemed frontline essential workers

Governor Edwards says no one in Louisiana who has received the vaccine has had a serious adverse reaction. He also stressed hat Louisiana is not in a good place, and that coronavirus restrictions such as social distancing and face masks must be followed.