LDH: COVID-19 claims 9th child victim since start of fourth surge

BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) -- The Louisiana Department of Health announced the death of a child between the ages of 12 and 17 today, marking the ninth child victim of COVID-19 since the start of the fourth surge in Louisiana.

In total, 18 children under the age of 18 have died from COVID-19 in Louisiana.

"Since mid-July, we have mourned the loss of a child to COVID nine times," said State Health Officer and Medical Director Dr. Joseph Kanter. "They say it takes a village to raise a child, but that village also has the responsibility of protecting its children. Masks and vaccines are the protection we have available to us, and we all must do our part."

How to get a COVID vaccine in Louisiana

Everyone ages 12 and older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Louisiana. The FDA has fully approved Pfizer’s Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine for everyone ages 16 and older. The Pfizer vaccine for those between the ages of 12 and 15 remains under emergency use authorization. Parents should confirm with the vaccine provider that their child is under 18 to ensure the Pfizer vaccine is available before making an appointment.

• COVID-19 vaccines are widely available at more than 1,400 locations in all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, including at pharmacies, hospitals, healthcare clinics and doctor’s offices.
• For a list of locations, visit LDH’s vaccine directory or visit vaccines.gov, which is maintained by the federal government.
• Please note that some sites may be temporarily inactive due to Hurricane Ida. Before you go, check with the site you intend to visit to ensure that it is open.
• To get a list of vaccine locations near you text your ZIP code to GETVAX (438829) in English, or VACUNA (822862) in Spanish.

If you have questions, would like to speak with a medical professional or need help scheduling an appointment, call 211 or Louisiana’s vaccine hotline at 1-855-453-0774.