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LA Covid Vaccine Demand Wanes As LSU Faculty Want Returning Students Vaccinated

Courtesy: BRLA.gov
Credit Courtesy: BRLA.gov
/
Courtesy: BRLA.gov

LOUISIANA VACCINE DEMAND?— Louisiana officials hailed the opening of a federal mass vaccination site in Baton Rouge fewer than two weeks ago.  But Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday that the location isn’t seeing enough traffic from people seeking the thousands of coronavirus vaccine doses available.   

"I will be the very first to tell you that the demand at that site is not what we need it to be, not what we hoped it to be," Edwards said. "And we're working very hard with the city of Baton Rouge to try to make sure that more Louisianians take advantage of this opportunity."

This is the latest sign that Louisiana residents’ interest in the vaccine is subsiding.  Only one-quarter of the state is fully immunized from COVID-19.  Louisiana didn’t seek shipment of some vaccine doses available from the federal government over the past week because of the waning demand.

Governor John Bel Edwards during weekly press conference on 04.22.21.
Credit Courtesy: LPB
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Courtesy: LPB
Governor John Bel Edwards during weekly press conference on 04.22.21.

LSU Health Shreveport has announced it will closing its Drive-through vaccination site at the Louisiana State Fairgrounds because of the State Fair of Louisiana’s opening later this month.   According to a press release – LSU-Health will still be offering Drive-through vaccines at other locations as they become available.  Vaccines will be available at a booth at the Louisiana State Fair on Saturday May 1st

To find out where Covid-19 vaccines will be offered, check the website  lsuhs.edu.

LSU STUDENT VACCINES?— A resolution calling on LSU to add the COVID-19 vaccine to its list of mandatory immunizations for students returning to campus this fall passed the LSU Faculty Senate 52-1 Thursday.  According to the Shreveport Times - 140 LSU faculty members had signed on to it out of concern  about  potential health risks for them and their students.  Both Presidents of LSU and the University of Louisiana System announced earlier this week that they aren’t planning to require students to get the covid-19 vaccine.

 Turnout for Louisiana's newest federally run Covid19 vaccine center hasn't been as good as hoped and LSU faculty wants students returning for classes in the fall to be vaccinated.

Copyright 2021 Red River Radio

Chuck Smith brings more than 30 years' experience to Red River Radio having started out as a radio news reporter and moving into television journalism as a newsmagazine producer / host, talk-show moderator, programming director and managing producer and news director / anchor for commercial, public broadcasting and educational television. He has more recently worked in advertising, marketing and public relations as a writer, video producer and media consultant. In pursuit of higher learning, Chuck studied Mass Communications at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and motion picture / television production at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has also taught writing for television at York Technical College in Rock Hill, South Carolina and video / film production at Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport.