Vaccine access expands to Louisiana teachers, day care staff

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana will expand coronavirus vaccine access next week to another half-million people, allowing teachers, child care workers and older people with certain medical conditions to get the shots, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Thursday.

The full list of people who will be newly eligible starting Monday includes K-12 teachers, administrators and school support staff; those who work at day care centers, early learning facilities and other sites that provide childcare; pregnant women; and people age 55 to 64 who have one of a dozen preexisting conditions. Those conditions include cancer, Type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sickle cell disease, obesity and chronic kidney disease, among others.

Edwards said he widened the availability of the vaccine because the state is seeing an increased supply of doses each week from the federal government.

Meanwhile, nearly half the estimated 1.2 million people already eligible for the COVID-19 immunizations in Louisiana have received at least their first dose of the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

Still, demand continues to exceed the available supply of doses, in Louisiana and across the nation. The 475,000 people newly eligible Monday will have to find a vaccine provider with an available appointment, an effort that isn't always quick or simple.

Teachers had been vocal about frustration they weren't eligible for the shots — particularly with a national push to reopen schools to in-person instruction, many of Louisiana's students already back in classrooms for months and Edwards having won his elections with teacher union support. About 64% of Louisiana's K-12 schools are holding in-person classes and another 15% are offering some onsite instruction, according to state data.

Those who gain access under the expansions announced...