3 La. children die from COVID in past week

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The Louisiana Department of Health reported three children died from COVID-19 over the past week, including two who were under five years old.

The third child was between five and 17 years old.

“Every life lost is a tragedy,” said Dr. Joseph Kanter, top medical officer of LDH. “That we have lost 21 children in our state to COVID-19, many of them not yet eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, is unbearable. Our young children who are not eligible to get the vaccine rely on us to protect them.”

Officials said the state is still in an Omicron surge. They added there were nine pediatric deaths during the Delta surge and 21 total deaths since the start of the pandemic.

ONE-STOP-SHOP: Louisiana stats, links related to COVID-19

“While cases are declining from our Omicron surge, the risk is not zero. Families should carefully judge their risk and risk tolerance, particularly in the Mardi Gras season. Becoming fully vaccinated and boosted if eligible, wearing a high-quality and well-fitting mask, and avoiding crowds and indoor unmasked public spaces can increase a family’s protection and lower their risk,” added Kanter.

LDH COVID-19 vaccine guidance

CDC and LDH recommend everyone 5 years old and above get vaccinated and that everyone 12 years old and above get boosted when they are eligible.
Vaccinations and boosters are our biggest opportunity to stop the spread of COVID-19 and ensure safe, in-person learning for Louisiana’s children.
COVID-19 vaccines are widely available at more than 1,000 locations in all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, including at pharmacies, hospitals, healthcare clinics and doctor’s offices.
For a list of locations near you, visit ldh.la.gov/covidvaccine or text your ZIP code to GETVAX (438829) in English or VACUNA (822862) in Spanish.
You can find testing site locations and hours at ldh.la.gov/covidtesting or you can call 211 to find a site near you.

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