On February 18th, 2021, The Louisiana Department of Health updated the eligibility groups for the COVID-19 vaccine. The following are the people and providers who are eligible to be added to the Wait List under Phase 1b Tier 1.

Current qualifications to be eligible to receive the Vaccine or added to the Waitlist:

• • Persons 65 and older
  • Dialysis providers and patients
  • Ambulatory and outpatient providers and staff
    • • • Behavioral health providers and staff
        • Urgent care clinic providers and staff
        • Community care providers and staff
        • Dental providers and staff
        • Non-emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) providers and staff
  • Professional home care providers (including hospice workers) and home care recipients (including older and younger people with disabilities over the age of 16 who receive community or home-based care, as well as clients of home health agencies)
  • American Sign Language (ASL) and foreign language interpreters and Support Service Providers (SSPs) working in community and clinic-based settings, and clients who are both deaf and blind
  • Health-related support personnel (lab staff, mortuary staff who have contact with corpses, pharmacy staff)
  • Schools of allied health students, residents and staff
  • Law enforcement and other first responders
  • Louisiana Unified Command Group
  • State and local essential COVID emergency response personnel
  • Some elections staff ahead of March and April elections
  • Teachers and any other support staff working on site in K-12 or daycare
  • All pregnant persons

• • Individuals ages 55-64 with at least one of the conditions listed by the CDC as placing them at an “increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19”. These individuals must fill out the COVID-19 Vaccine Attestation Form, and bring it to their vaccination appointment.*
    • • • Cancer
        • Chronic kidney disease
        • COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
        • Down syndrome
        • Heart conditions
        • Solid organ transplant recipients (kidney, liver, lung, intestines, heart, pancreas) and are immunocompromised
        • Obesity
        • Sickle cell disease
        • Smoking
        • Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Patients must show proof of age with driver’s license or proof of qualification such as Employee ID or name tag, pay stub, plan of care, transplant card, or COVID-19 Vaccine Attestation Form.

As soon as vaccines become available, we will call patients according to our wait list and schedule appointments. Patients will be called on a first come first serve basis. To be added to our Wait List, please call (225) 246-9240. Please note that we are following the State of Louisiana’s guidelines on distribution of the vaccine and when adding patients to our wait list.

COVID-19 Vaccine Procedure:

COVID-19 Vaccinations are BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

The Immunization Clinic is located at 7473 Perkins Road. It is the white brick building between our Main Clinic building and our Urgent Care/Albertsons. Patients will park and enter the building through the door labeled “COVID Vaccine Appointments Enter Here”.

Supplies are extremely limited, so please monitor our website and social media often for any updates. Any patients that arrive without an appointment, and/or do not meet the current criteria according to the State of Louisiana, will NOT be vaccinated.

Please Remember:

• • • Wear your mask.
    • Make sure your arm is accessible – For example:  short sleeve t-shirt, sleeveless shirt, etc.
    • Have your insurance card available.
    • COVID-19 Vaccine Consent Form
    • *COVID-19 Vaccine Attestation Form

COVID Vaccine Adult Information

by Infectious Disease Specialist, Tatiana C. Saavedra, MD

Vaccines come in several varieties:

• • • Live attenuated (ex: MMR)-weakened form of the virus; it acts as an antigen and stimulates the body to create an antibody response
    • Inactivated virus (ex: most seasonal influenza)-killed version of the virus; the killed form acts as an antigen and stimulates the body to create an antibody response
    • Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, conjugate vaccine (ex: pneumococcal)-contain parts of the organism that acts as the antigen and stimulates the antibody response. They do not contain the organism itself.
    • Toxoid vaccines (ex: Tetanus)-contain a toxin made by the organism that causes the disease. The toxin acts as the antigen that stimulates the body to make antibodies, but the antibody response is only to a specific part of the organism, not the whole

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine:

mRNA vaccines have been developed by Pfizer and Moderna, and have been FDA approved for EUA.

• • • Pfizer-BioNTech: use mRNA to create receptor binding domain of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The spike protein is what the virus uses to attach to and enter the cell.
    • Moderna: use mRNA to actually create the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein stabilized in its pre-fusion confirmation
    • The mRNA is degraded after it has been translated (in the cytoplasm; it never enters the nucleus)

Common Questions:

How is an mRNA vaccine different from other existing vaccines?

• • • mRNA vaccines contain messenger RNA, which is single stranded RNA that complements DNA
      • • mRNA vaccines are made in the lab—mRNA is encapsulated within nanoparticles. Once the mRNA is translated, protein antigen is formed and that’s the antigen that triggers the immune response.
        • mRNA stays in the cytoplasm, it does not enter the nucleus, therefore it cannot be incorporated into our genome
    • The concept of mRNA vaccines was developed in the 1990s but technology was not advanced enough at that time. Prior to the pandemic, mRNA vaccines targeting HIV, rabies, Zika, and influenza were in clinical trials.

How long will people be protected?

• • • It is unknown at this time how long protection will last since study patients have not been followed for a long enough period of time.

What advantage does getting vaccinated provide if mask wearing is still beneficial?

• • • The vaccine protects YOU from getting SARS-CoV-2 by giving you immunity to the virus.
    • We do not know whether the vaccine will prevent and individual from carrying SARS-CoV-2 and spreading it to others.
    • Remember, by wearing a mask (unless you are wearing an N95 respirator), you are not protecting yourself from getting the virus, but you are protecting others around you.

Safety:

• • • Both Pfizer and Moderna have good safety profiles.
    • Few local injection site reactions; very few serious side effects (<1%).
    • There have been no documented cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).
      • • People with a history of GBS may receive the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
    • There have been a few documented cases of Bell’s Palsy.
      • • 4 cases noted in each vaccine trial, both Pfizer and Moderna
    • There is no concern for the development of traverse myelitis.

If you miss the follow up vaccination, do you need to repeat the series?

• • • The second dose should be scheduled at your earliest convenience.

Can this vaccine be given with other vaccines?

• • • Since the safety and efficacy of mRNA vaccines is not known when administered with other vaccines, this vaccine should be given alone with a minimum of 14 days before or after any other vaccine.

Any contraindication to being on an anticoagulant (blood thinner)?

• • • No, but you should inform the vaccination provider since you may bleed a little more or longer than usual.

Should patients medicate with ibuprofen or acetaminophen?

• • • While most physicians still recommend taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) for symptoms, you may use ibuprofen (an NSAID) if Tylenol does not provide relief. If fever is not responsive to Tylenol alone, you may alternate Tylenol with Ibuprofen for symptom relief. Also, if a patient is on chronic NSAID therapy, they should continue to take these medications despite having a diagnosis of COVID.

Can patients with a history of anaphylaxis to food/non-medications receive this vaccine?

• • • YES

Why is it necessary to vaccinate people who have had COVID?

• • • Since we do not know how long immunity after COVID-19 infections lasts, and people have had variable immune responses after having COVID, we recommend vaccination with the mRNA vaccine.
    • Vaccination of individuals with current SARS-CoV-2 infection should be deferred until the person has recovered from acute illness and criteria have been met to discontinue isolation.

What about people who have had COVID within the last 90 days?

• • • Current evidence suggests that reinfection is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infection.
    • So, persons with documented acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in the prior 90 days may delay vaccination until the end of this period, if desired.

COVID Vaccine Pediatric Information

by Pediatrician Mindy L. Calandro, MD, FAAP

Is the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine approved for children?

No. At this time the available mRNA vaccines are not approved in children.  The CDC did approve the Pfizer vaccine in those 16 and older, but there is no recommendation for children under that age.  Vaccine trials that include children 12 and above are just getting underway, so we should have additional data in that age group in the near future.  However, I would anticipate that the vaccine will not be recommended in younger age groups for quite some time until adequate studies can be done.

Can parents or those who care for children receive the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and still be around children?

Absolutely!!! The mRNA vaccines continue no live virus, and therefore do not pose a risk to anyone that is around the person who received the vaccine.

How about pregnant woman? Can they receive the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines?

In their final advisory and recommendations for the Pfizer vaccine, the CDC did say that after a discussion with their OB/GYN, pregnant woman can receive the vaccine.  Pregnant women were not intentionally included in the vaccine trials (pregnancy is one of the exclusion criteria when it comes to all vaccine trials).  However, there were women in the mRNA vaccine trials who did become pregnant during the vaccine trials, and no adverse effects were noted with the pregnancy.  We know that pregnant woman are considered “high risk” when it comes to Covid-19 infections, so the risks of actual Covid-19 infection must be taken into account.  Again, for those that are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, they should discuss vaccination with their OB/GYN prior to receiving the vaccine.

What about breastfeeding women?

Again, the CDC did recommend that breastfeeding women CAN receive the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine.  Given that there is no live virus present in the vaccine, the chance of the vaccine affecting breast milk and therefore affecting the infant is very low.  Breast feeding women, like pregnant women, are excluded from vaccine trials, so specific data will be forthcoming as more widespread vaccination occurs.  Once again, this should be discussed with your OB/GYN as well.