Vaccinated individuals are not exempt from the statewide indoor mask mandate that takes effect Wednesday.
State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter said this is due to a growing pile of evidence from recent studies that show those who are vaccinated but have suffered a “breakthrough” COVID case are just as infectious as those who are unvaccinated are become infected. Kanter said this is a new phenomenon that is unique to the now-dominant Delta strain.
“If you are fully vaccinated it is less likely that you will be infected, eight times less likely,” said Kanter. “But if you do become infected you likely have as much virus circulating in your body, at least in the early days, as someone who is infected and not vaccinated.”
About 43% of the state has received at least one shot of a COVID vaccine, one of the worst rates in America. Unvaccinated individuals account for 90% of all new COVID cases, 85% of all new COVID deaths, and 89% of COVID-related hospitalizations per the LDH dashboard.
The mandate is set to expire in September but Governor Edwards indicated he may extend it should the Delta surge not abate.
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