BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The Louisiana Department of Health is urging residents to take advantage of the COVID-19 vaccines available at parish health units (PHU) in their areas.
LDH said that since the U.S. government no longer purchases COVID-19 vaccines through its CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program, the updated vaccines are only available in the commercial marketplace. These changes mean getting vaccinated can be out-of-pocket costs, health officials said.
PHUs act as resources for uninsured or underinsured residents to get the latest COVID-19 vaccines with ease and affordability.
LDH said PHUs and retail pharmacies throughout the state, including national Bridge Access Program partners CVS and Walgreens, will offer free updated COVID-19 vaccinations to uninsured and underinsured adults.
Those who are eligible can go to vaccines.gov and enter their zip code, click the “Search for COVID-19 Vaccines” button and select “Bridge A” on the next page.
“Getting an updated COVID-19 vaccination is a great way to boost one’s protection against the virus. The updated vaccine is recommended for everyone ages 6 months of age and older. Elderly individuals and those with significant underlying health conditions are at the highest risk of serious complications should they become infected with COVID-19 and stand to benefit the greatest from receiving the updated vaccine. I plan to get mine at the same time as I receive this year’s flu shot and I encourage everyone to do the same,” said State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter.
Residents with insurance can find vaccination sites, including many retail pharmacies, offering updated COVID-19 shots here.
