Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is entering the state this week. Matt Doyle has the story.
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The state health department reported 65 more COVID-19 deaths today. Jeff Palermo has the latest coronavirus numbers…
cut 2 (30) ….I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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For the first time in 44 years, the Independence Bowl will not be played in Shreveport on Saturday. The I-Bowl could not find an opponent for Army who accepted a bid to play in the bowl game. I-Bowl spokesperson Erik Evenson says it’s crushing that this annual holiday tradition can not happen this year
Army was set to play a school from the Pac-12, but Evenson says five teams from that league decided not to play in a bowl game this season, reducing their options
Evenson says they tried to find a school outside of the Pac-12 to play Army, but no luck
Fans who purchased tickets, can request a re-fund or roll over the purchase to next year’s game. BYU is set to play in next year’s game against a school from Conference USA.
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The Louisiana Department of Education plans to use eight million dollars provided by the state legislature to purchase new computers for public school students. Superintendent Cade Brumley on how the funding originated.
Cut 6 (11) “…spring semester.”
The department just received news of the funding and Brumely says they are working on a plan to purchase and distribute 23,000 Chromebooks to school systems by next Spring.
Brumley says students and educators have made incredible pivots throughout the pandemic and while virtual learning has certainly come a long way since March, they still have several hurdles to overcome.
Brumley says the Chromebooks have touchscreen technology which makes them more accessible for a wider range of students and easier use for younger students.
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Louisiana will receive nearly 80,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine over the next three days. About 36,000 of those will head to nursing homes and the remaining 44,000 will be sent to tier two hospitals and medical first responders. Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter celebrates the news…
Last week the state received about 40,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine and is expecting just under 30,000 this week. Those are reserved for frontline healthcare workers.
Moderna will now be in circulation with the Pfizer vaccine. Kanter says right now you won’t really have a choice which one you get to take but the truth is they’re both just as effective and safe…
Both vaccines have 94 to 95 percent rates of effectiveness. The Moderna vaccine requires a booster shot 28 days later versus Pfizer, which requires a booster 21 days later.
Kanter says the difference between the two is that the Moderna vaccine is easier to transport than its Pfizer cousin because it doesn’t have to be kept nearly as cold.
Vaccinations of nursing home residents are expected to begin sometime next week.
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After sunset tonight you’ll definitely want to take a look at the western skies and view a phenomenon dubbed the Christmas Star. LSU Professor of Astronomy Dr. Tabetha Boyajian (boy-ah-gin) says it’s not actually a star but planets Jupiter and Saturn aligning closer together, they will appear within a tenth of a degree from each other.
The best viewing of the so-called Christmas Star is tonight after dusk, but it will be visible until the 25th. Dr. Boyajian explains the Christmas connection.
Dr. Boyajian says you won’t need a telescope to view the once in a lifetime event and try to find a location without tall trees, buildings, and bright lights for best viewing.
If you miss it tonight you won’t have another chance until 2080.