West Feliciana Parish is leading the way in Louisiana when it comes to getting vaccinated. Data from the Louisiana Department of Health shows the gap is not even close.

According to the department, West Feliciana Parish leads the state with 49.19% of its population already fully vaccinated. Orleans Parish comes in second at 39.13%, followed by 35.09% of the population in Jefferson Parish.

"We thought it was important to get us out of the pandemic we've been in, in the last year," said nurse Kristin Beauchamp-Kelly, with West Feliciana Hospital.

At St. Francisville Pharmacy, more than 2,700 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered. It's a surprising number manager Charlotte Bertrand says has played a significant part in the rollout in West Feliciana Parish.

"There's a sense of community and taking care of one another is why the people who have come to get vaccinated have come," Bertrand said.

Nurses say there's no secret to how the parish reached their milestone, but they're proud of the numbers.

"It's been a community effort to promote the vaccine. We explain to people that we've done the research and read the science. We feel safe giving it to ourselves and our friends and loved ones," Beauchamp-Kelly said.

The pharmacy and the hospital are the only two vaccine providers in the parish. About 28 percent of the population in Louisiana is fully vaccinated.