Beginning Friday, Walmart and Sam’s Clubs will be able to help assist with the pandemic and vaccinate those 65 and older against COVID. Brooke Thorington has more.
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A study shows New Orleans’ horrific post-Mardi Gras wave of coronavirus infections has been traced back to one person who arrived in the city around February 11th from Texas. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Bust out the heavy-duty jackets because a polar vortex is set to send temperatures in the state plummeting. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Those currently eligible for the vaccine have the option to be inoculated for COVID at their local Walmart or Sam’s Club. Louisiana is one of 22 states participating in the federal pharmacy retail program which kicks off Friday. Regional Health and Wellness Director for Walmart Bethany Evans says in the meantime you can schedule your appointment.
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Appointments are required to be vaccinated and Evans says Walmart and Sam’s Club will assist in bringing the vaccine to parts of the state where accessibility is an issue.
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On Monday the state allowed those 65 and older to be eligible for the COVID vaccine increasing the eligibility for approximately a quarter of a million more residents. Evans says 57 Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations are prepping to do their part.
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The website for required appointments www.walmart.com/covidvaccine or www.samsclub.com/covid
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UL -Lafayette played a significant role in the testing and protocols for the Pfizer COVID vaccine. The New Iberia Research Center provided valuable data allowing the vaccine clinical trials to progress humans much quicker. NIRC Director of Contract Research Jane Fontenot says it was their primates that assisted.
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Director of Research at NIRC Dr. Francois Villinger says their previous work with vaccines enabled the trial to know the proper intervals to test for COVID antibodies from the vaccine.
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Fontenot says their primates also provided data on when booster shots should be conducted.
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NIRC is currently involved in eight vaccine and therapeutic drug studies related to COVID-19 in addition to the Pfizer vaccine.
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One visitor from Texas may have been responsible for the horrendous post-Mardi Gras COVID surge that devastated the New Orleans Metro Area according to a new study.
One of the study’s lead authors was Tulane Virologist Dr. Bob Garry. He says the virus arrived with that one person two weeks before Mardi Gras and sparked 800 cases by Ash Wednesday.
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Garry says that’s highly unusual because one, our infection resulted from domestic travel, and two most epicenters can trace their outbreaks back to several different infectious individuals.
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Garry says that one individual, and the COVID variant they carried, were likely responsible for up to 50,000 infections.
Scientists traced the genetic dots and found our variant had only been detected previously in Texas. Once it was introduced to the packed bars and streets of Mardi Gras it exploded…
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The study concludes the Mardi Gras outbreak did end up seeding outbreaks across the Gulf South, but due to travel restrictions did not result in major outbreaks outside the region.
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Temperatures in Louisiana will begin plummeting today and over the weekend as a polar vortex makes its way south out of Canada.
State Climatologist Barry Keim says that vortex will begin dropping the average statewide temperature every day from now until Tuesday.
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Keim says because of this we could see some snow in parts of the state Sunday night and Monday night.
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Temperatures are expected to remain low late into next week which Keim says could produce even more wintery mix.
This comes during the usually busy Mardi Gras weekend. Keim says maybe it’s for the best the parades aren’t rolling…
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ULM men’s basketball will take on the Ragin Cajuns in a two-game series, starting tonight in Lafayette and concluding Saturday in Monroe. Warhawks coach Keith Richard says his team will face the challenge of trying to slow down guard Cedric Russell.
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The Warhawks have struggled on the hardwood this season losing ten in a row, but Richard says he’s proud of the way his team continues to play hard.
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ULM enters the game with a 2-10 Sun Belt record, while the Cajuns are 7-and-5 and in second place in the SEC West after dropping two games last weekend to Arkansas State who has a losing record. Assistant coach Brock Morris says it’s time to start another win streak…
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The Cajuns top two scorers are Cedric Russell, who is averaging nearly 19 points a game and sophomore Mylik Wilson, who is averaging 13 a contest. But Wilson’s shooting numbers are down from last season when he was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Morris says other teams have figured out what Wilson does well…
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