Parish sees uptick in COVID vaccinations
The COVID-19 vaccination rate in Lincoln Parish has gone up 1%. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Louisiana Department of Health, 31.02% of eligible parish residents are now fully vaccinated.
That represents 169 additional people vaccinated since July 31.
Local clinics and pharmacies offering the free COVID vaccines say they have “absolutely” seen an uptick in people who want the shots over the last several weeks.
“It’s life or death right now. I think people are scared,” Catherine Tonore, CEO of Primary Health Service Center/Grambling Family Health Center, said.
The increases coincide with a spike of new COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths statewide, almost all of which state health officials say are caused by the more contagious Delta variant.
Local healthcare providers attribute the uptick in vaccinations to residents’ concern about the Delta variant, along with COVID cases occurring among family and friends.
“With the numbers going up, everybody is trying to make a decision,” Alex Dowies, an LPN at the Health Hut, said. “I think (some of the newly vaccinated) wanted it because they had family members test positive, and it scared them.”
As of noon Monday, Lincoln Parish recorded 51 new cases since Friday. All totaled, the parish has seen 3,843 cases of the potentially fatal respiratory virus since the pandemic began almost 18 months ago.
Providers said the newly vaccinated span all age groups, including some adolescents ages 12-17. Thus far, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for that age group.
Tonore said she expects more 12- to 17-year-olds to get vaccinated once school starts.
Only 2.5% of Lincoln Parish 12-to17-year-olds are fully vaccinated, according to LDH.
So far 14,690 people have received either the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine. As of Monday, another 16,633 parish residents have gotten at least one dose, the CDC and LDH reported.
BY THE NUMBERS
31% +1%
• In Lincoln Parish, approximately 31% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. That represents an increase of 1%, or a total of 169 more vaccinations administered, since July 31.
