By T. Scott Boatright
The Louisiana Department of Health on Monday released a list of 541 providers that will get shares of the state’s supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses this week, including seven facilities that will be giving vaccinations here in Lincoln Parish.
Three types of approved vaccines are available. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses to get the full benefit, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires a single dose. The Pfizer vaccine is approved for 16- and 17-year-olds and older, and the other two are approved for only adults.
The LDH said that the state was expected to receive 300,000 first doses for general distribution this week, the most of any week so far, with the exception direct federal allocations to certain providers.
“We are going to have more doses than we’ve had at any point up to now,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said during a press conference last week. “It’s within our collective ability to make tremendous progress against this pandemic.”
According to the LDH’s most-recent public report, nearly 1.3 million of the state’s approximately 4.65 million residents have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, and more than 834,000 people were fully vaccinated.
Following is the list of Lincoln Parish facilities the LDH said would be receiving more vaccine doses this week:
• Family First Medicine, 902 Vienna Street in Ruston. Phone: 318-513-1950. This site is reported to be able to vaccinate eligible 16- and 17-year-olds. All other sites are able to vaccinate eligible adults ages 18 and older.
• Green Clinic, 1200 S. Farmerville St. in Ruston. Phone: 255-3690.
• Lincoln Parish Health Unit, 405 E. Georgia Ave. in Ruston. Phone: 251-4120.
• Ruston Apotecare, 1680 E. Kentucky Ave. in Ruston. Phone: 255-3223
• The Health Hut, 310 W. Mississippi Ave. in Ruston. Phone: 318-513-1212.
• Walmart Pharmacy #23, 1201 N. Service Rd. in Ruston. Phone: 251-0392.
• Walmart Pharmacy #4577, 321 W. California Ave. in Ruston. Phone: 318-497-6232.