BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Children as young as six months and older in Louisiana are eligible to receive the updated COVID-19 bivalent booster, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
Officials said the CDC endorsed the FDA’s authorization that expanded the ages of people eligible to receive the new booster. The changes are effective immediately.
The updated booster protects against the original strain of COVID-19 and also offers added protections against the Omicron variant’s BA.4 and BA.5 strains, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
Below are details from LDH about recommendations for the vaccines:
According to Louisiana health officials, 25 children have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. In addition, officials have confirmed 348 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children. The serious condition is associated with COVID-19 and can cause part of a person’s body to become inflamed.
The Louisiana Department of Health is encouraging parents to contact their child’s doctor about the COVID-19 booster and to make a plan. Click here for details about a vaccine provider near you.
Officials said a parent must give consent for someone under the age of 18 to get the updated booster shot. Click here for details on the consent form.
Click here to report a typo.
Copyright 2022 WAFB. All rights reserved.