Governor John Bel Edwards was on-site at Ochsner’s Jefferson Parish campus Monday morning as the first Pfizer COVID vaccinations were administered in Louisiana.
Edwards called it a historic moment.
“It is a day that we have been preparing for, planning for, and praying for, for about nine months now,” said Edwards.
The state received thousands of doses Sunday and by Wednesday will have received 39,000 doses total. Next week we’ll receive another shipment of 40,000 doses.
As Edwards spoke healthcare providers were lining up in the background receiving their shots. He called this moment “the beginning of the end” of the pandemic.
“It is such a blessing to have vaccines in the state of Louisiana and we actually saw some go into some arms here,” said Edwards.
Ochsner anticipates being able to vaccinate 88 percent of their COVID unit staff with this first week’s allocation. Other hospitals and healthcare providers have also begun the process of administering vaccines to frontline healthcare workers.
Frontline healthcare workers are first up to get vaccinated, followed by nursing home residents and staff once the Moderna vaccine is approved. Edwards warned the pandemic is not over yet and until you can get vaccinated you still need to keep masking up and social distancing.
“It is going to take several months, five, six months something like that to get to the general population and we will do this in phases by priority,” said Edwards.
All pictures courtesy of Ochsner.
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