BATON ROUGE, La. (LDH) - The Rapides Parish Health Unit now has the new Moderna and Pfizer boosters. It must be 8 weeks since a person’s latest vaccine before they can be administered this new dose. Pfizer is for anyone ages 12+ and Moderna is for anyone ages 18+. Anyone wanting a dose can call (318) 487 – 5282 or come straight into the health unit at 5604 A Coliseum Boulevard, Alexandria LA 71303 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

CLICK HERE FOR HEALTH INFORMATION IN CENLA

The Office of Public Health is providing COVID vaccination and testing Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm at all locations.

No pre-registration or out-of-pocket expenses for either vaccination or testing.

All sites provide all three vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). On-site PCR testing is available as well as BINAX testing. There is a health unit in every parish:

Avoyelles Parish Health Unit (657 Government Street, Marksville, LA 71351)
Catahoula Parish Health Unit (200 Third Street, Jonesville, LA 71343)
Concordia Parish Health Unit (905 Mickey Gilley Avenue, Ferriday, LA 71334)
Grant Parish Health Unit (340-A Webb Smith Drive, Colfax, LA 71417)
LaSalle Parish Health Unit (1673 N. 2nd Street, Jena, LA 71343)
Rapides Parish health Unit (5604-A Coliseum Blvd, Alexandria, LA 71303)
Vernon Parish Health Unit (406 Fretitta Boulevard, Leesville, LA 71446)
Winn Parish Health Unit (301 West Main Street, Suite 1010, Winnfield, LA 71483)

Vaccine Booster Locations:

Rapides – 5604 A Coliseum Blvd. Alexandria, LA 71301 (318) 487 – 5262
Avoyelles – 657 Government St. Marksville, LA 71351 (318) 253 – 4528
Catahoula – 200 Third St. Jonesville, LA 71343 (318) 339 – 8352
Concordia – 905 Mickey Gilley Ave. Ferriday, LA 71334 (318) 757 – 8632
Grant – 340 A. Webb Smith Dr. Colfax, LA 71423 (318) 627 – 3133
LaSalle – 1673 N. 2nd St. Jena, LA 71342 (318) 992 – 4842
Vernon – 406 W. Fertitta Blvd. Leesville, LA 71446 (337) 238 – 6410
Winn – 301 W. Main St. Winnfield, LA 71483 (318) 628 – 2148

**All operate at the same hours for vaccines from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Please consult covidvaccine.la.gov for all locations or use the QR code for enrollment with the OPH/LANG Drive Thru sites.

Link: State of Louisiana COVID-19 Vaccination Third Dose Medical Risk Factor Self Attestation Form

Use the QR code for enrollment with OPH/LANG Drive Thru sites(LDH)

Please continue to sign up through covidvaccine.la.gov. You will be directed to a link, which provides the date and location and you will need to pick a time. Enrollment is electronic, but you can always call the health unit for assistance. If you enroll electronically, you will receive an email confirmation (and you need to come at the time you signed up for). Rapides Parish Coliseum vaccine sign-up here.

While pre-registration for COVID-19 Vaccine Drive-Thru Clinics is encouraged, on-site electronic registration is also available.

Continue scrolling to find information on how to register for a vaccine at a local pharmacy.

Drive-thru events at:

Catahoula Parish Health Unit (at the National Guard Armory)
Grant Parish Health Unit (at the Grant Parish Civic Center)
Rapides Parish Health Unit (at the Rapides Parish Coliseum) (Doses provided CHRISTUS-Cabrini and Rapides Regional Medical Center)
Winn Parish Health Unit (at the First Assembly of God Church)

Vaccination at the Health Unit:

Avoyelles Parish Health Unit (Call for appointments, number on the covidvaccine.la.gov website)
Vernon Parish Health Unit (Call for appointments, number on the covidvaccine.la.gov website)
Concordia Parish Health Unit (Call for appointments, number on the covidvaccine.la.gov website)

COMPLETE LIST OF VACCINE SITES STATEWIDE

Johnson and Johnson Vaccine in Rapides

The Rapides Parish Health Unit will be giving 1,500 doses of the Johnson and Johnson, one-dose vaccine from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 3, at the Rapides Coliseum Site. Sign up on the covidvaccine.la.gov site for this (or other sites). Check your eligibility and pick a time. This is a ONE DOSE vaccine. A 15 minute waiting period will still be required.

Find and register for COVID-19 vaccines at local pharmacies

The Louisiana Department of Health is providing updates on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the state, including locally here in Cenla.

LDH says that eligible residents must contact a participating pharmacy and make an appointment at the pharmacy. Patients who arrive without an appointment will not be vaccinated. Do not arrive at a location without an appointment.

LDH is currently working on a list where you can find a local pharmacy that supplies the vaccines, however, this is a work in progress and the pharmacies are not yet fully compiled. That list can be found HERE. Check back for updates. We are aware at this time, most of the time slots have been filled up. LINK: Click here for the latest COVID-19 vaccine information in Louisiana.

Here are local pharmacies that are listed as having the vaccine:

We are aware that several locations are already filling up with appointments. Keep in mind that more vaccines will become available in the near future.

CLICK HERE: CDC COVID-19 DATA TRACKER

Medicaid Members:

Medicaid Members: If you qualify for Medicaid’s transportation services, you can get a ride to your appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. More information on how to schedule: https://ldh.la.gov/index.cfm/newsroom/detail/6056

COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Update, Guidance for the Second Dose Interval and Pfizer Vaccine Vials Sixth Dose

Second Dose Interval

The second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible. However, when it is not feasible to adhere to the recommended interval, the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be administered up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose. There are currently limited data on the efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines administered beyond this window. If the second dose is administered beyond these intervals, there is no need to restart the series. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/clinical-considerations.html

Sixth Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Now Expected in Every Vial

COVID-19 vaccine providers are now expected to get six doses per vial (no longer five doses with the possibility of an extra “angel” dose) of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. government has also updated the ancillary kits to support providers getting six doses of vaccine per vial. Federal data systems and the Louisiana ordering process will reflect this change. You will notice the amount of doses have increased, but the number of vials will not change. This change will also occur for upcoming second dose shipments, so if a site, for example, received 120 doses previously for the first doses of Pfizer (24 vials), they will technically receive 144 doses for second doses (still 24 vials).

National Drug Code (NDC) Update

Characteristics associated with the existing Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine were updated in data systems on February, 2/19. The NDC for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine will not change, nor will a new NDC be introduced as part of the dose count change. The current NDC will include an increase in the number of available doses from five to six per vial.

Allocations/Ordering Caps

Your systems and planning should now accommodate multiples of six. The projected allocations data has been updated for this week’s ordering. This means that your organization’s projected allocations for the week ending February 20, will now appear to have increased by 20%. Orders will include the same number of vials, yet providers are expected to get a sixth dose of vaccine per vial.

Capturing and Reporting Administration Data

Administrative data are collected by dose, and systems should not need to be updated to account for this change in dosage. However, below are some important updates for capturing and reporting administration data for jurisdictions and healthcare providers:

Clinical processes should account for a sixth dose in each vial.
We understand that providers may not be able to obtain six doses from every vial. If a provider is unable to access the sixth dose, the sixth dose should be documented in LINKS as wasted with the reason “lost and unaccounted.”

Facilities, partners, and the state may see an increase in reported wastage. We know there is always waste with vaccine administration and that, during sensitive times, this increase in wastage could cause concern for leaders.

The Louisiana Office of Public Health appreciates the amazing amount of work COVID-19 vaccine providers have completed to protect persons in our state. The percentage of first dose vaccinations administered from the state’s supply is being used to depict how states are initiating vaccination within their communities. Louisiana is ranked at the highest level percentage of delivered first vaccine doses.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/distributing/first-doses.html

NOTE FROM LDH: The Department of Health has recently received indications that certain vaccine providers in the state are reserving their excess doses (i.e., doses that exceeds hospital, clinic, or pharmacy staff uptake) of OWS COVID-19 vaccine for existing patients of their clinic, pharmacy, system or institution (e.g., only for persons who have been patients of the hospital or clinic within the last x months). While recent LDH guidance to Hospitals authorized the administration of excess vaccine doses to individuals aged 70 and above, and certain other enumerated classes of individuals, it was the intent of that guidance that providers do not discriminate between current patients and non-current patients, or other similar metrics, in administering such excess doses. To the extent that such discrimination is occurring, it must immediately cease. OWS COVID-19 vaccine providers are required to ensure discrimination based on prior commercial relationship with the provider, or any other type of relationship, does not occur. This includes discrimination based on “existing” or “prior” patients of a particular provider. All providers are reminded that distribution of OWS COVID-19 vaccine doses are subject to after-action audits and adverse action could be considered if improper discrimination by a provider is determined to have occurred.

The Office of Public Health will transition the Exhibition Hall site from Testing to Vaccination as soon as vaccine supplies become available. The testing will be transitioned over to the Rapides Parish Office of Public Health as of January 11, 2020. The hours will continue to be 8 am to 1 p.m.

Stay with KALB to learn about additional doses of the vaccine.

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