Essential Workers Added to Louisiana’s Vaccine Access List

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards is further expanding eligibility to the coronavirus vaccine to a long list of healthy essential workers in Louisiana who don’t have one of the two dozen medical conditions that already provided access.

The new rules take effect Monday and include workers at grocery store workers, IT workers, clergy, postal workers, those in the hotel industry, manufacturing, and many more. Those deemed essential workers in a number of different jobs, over 20 in total, can now apply.

Edwards widened access earlier this month to anyone 16 and older who has among two dozen health conditions, people who are overweight and smokers. Most adults are expected to meet one of the eligibility criteria.

Louisiana also kicked off an outreach campaign Thursday aimed at getting vaccines to people in underserved areas and persuading the skeptical.

(Story written by Melinda Deslatte/AP)