BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)- Louisiana residents who are considered obese, according to the Louisiana Department of Health body mass scale are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine.
According to LDH, in 2019 35 percent of Louisiana residents are considered obese.
Dr. Phillip Schauer, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, says with this eligibility thousands in the state are able to protect themselves from the virus.
“Their immune system is not functioning fully,” said Schauer. “These folks are much more likely to have comorbid conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and sleep apnea.”
According to the CDC, 78 percent of COVID-19 patients were hospitalized.
“They are much more likely to have a bad outcome. More likely to be on an ventilator and unfortunately more likely to die with COVID,” said Schauer. “Those are really critical reasons why those folks need to get the vaccine protection as soon as they can.”
In 2019, 32 percent of East Baton Rouge residents were obese.
Schauer believes some people have opted out to take care of their bodies due to the stress of the pandemic.
He wants to remind others to practice healthy living habits.
“It’s been a challenge during this COVID era, people staying at home and isolated,” he said. “A lot of people have struggled with their weight. I think the best solution is try to work with your healthcare team.”
The following provides a full list of newly eligible individuals for the COVID-19 vaccine:
