BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — Oct. 5, 2021, UPDATE: The Louisiana Department of Health has updated its website to reflect the latest COVID-19 statistics and will continue to update its website at 12 p.m. each weekday.

  • As of Tuesday, LDH reports 1,020 new cases for a total of 744,651 COVID-19 cases.
  • There are 671 people hospitalized and 130 relying on ventilators.
  • There have been 14,068 total confirmed and probable deaths statewide since the start of the pandemic.
  • Unvaccinated persons account for 82% of current COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Everyone is urged to take the necessary precautions to help limit the spread of COVID-19 and stay safe and healthy. These precautions include:

  • Washing your hands for at least 20 seconds and frequently
  • Covering your cough or sneeze with your arm
  • Avoiding touching your face
  • Routinely cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces
  • Avoiding close contact with others
  • And staying home if you are sick 
  • If you are not yet fully vaccinated you should mask and distance in public settings and particularly indoors, for your safety and for the safety of those around you.
  • If you are fully vaccinated you have very good, but not absolute protection. Your risk, while relatively small, will increase as the amount of COVID-19 circulating in your community increases. Masking and distancing particularly when indoors will increase your safety should you desire extra protection.
  • If you are at increased risk for complications of COVID-19 by virtue of advanced age or underlying medical condition or have a member of your household family unit who is, LDH strongly recommends you consider masking and distancing when indoors and/or in close proximity to others for added protection.

COVID-19 Vaccination Information

Everyone aged 12 and older, is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Louisiana. The FDA has only authorized one of the three COVID-19 vaccines – from Pfizer – for children ages 12 to 17. Parents should confirm with the vaccine provider that their child is under 18 to ensure Pfizer vaccine is available before making an appointment. 

  • COVID-19 vaccines are widely available at 1,437 locations in all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, including at pharmacies, hospitals, health care 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.
  • 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 Louisiana’s vaccine hotline at 1-855-453-0774. 

Click here to view gating criteria.