Baton Rouge, La. (September 1, 2021) — Today, the Louisiana Department of Health sadly confirms the deaths of two children younger than age 18 during the fourth surge of COVID-19 in the state, which is largely driven by the stronger, more contagious Delta variant. The Louisiana Department of Health today reports 12,380 deaths from COVID, including these children, bringing the total deaths in the state from COVID-19 to 12,582.
One death was of a child between the ages of 0 and 4, and one death was of a child between the ages of 12 and 17. No further information will be released on these deaths.
This brings the total of pediatric deaths during this fourth surge to 5. In total, 13 children younger than 18 have died from COVID in Louisiana.
"Any life lost to COVID-19 is a tragedy, but the loss of a child is profoundly heartbreaking. Just a week ago today, our hearts were heavy with the loss of a young child, and today we feel the loss doubly with the deaths of two more," said Dr. Joseph Kanter, State Health Officer. "To best protect our young children who are not eligible to get the vaccine, as well as ourselves and our loved ones, we can do two simple things: get the vaccine and wear a mask."
In addition to promoting the safe, effective and widely available vaccines, Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a statewide mask mandate, which includes school-age children.
Everyone age 12 and older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Louisiana. The FDA has fully authorized Pfizer’s Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine for everyone ages 16 and older. The Pfizer vaccine for those between the ages of 12 and 15 remains under emergency use authorization. Parents should confirm with the vaccine provider that their child is under 18 to ensure the Pfizer vaccine is available before making an appointment.
- COVID-19 vaccines are widely available at more than 1,400 locations in all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, including at pharmacies, hospitals, healthcare 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.
- Please note that some sites may be temporarily inactive due to Hurricane Ida. Before you go, check with the site you intend to visit to ensure that it is open.
- 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 211 or Louisiana’s vaccine hotline at 1-855-453-0774.