The New Orleans Health Department announced the launch of a Citywide Vaccine Waitlist today to help eligible individuals connect with vaccination locations.
This government-run sign-up method centralizes the vaccine appointment process, which previously involved residents directly reaching out to pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals to get on their waitlists for vaccination appointments.
To get on the list you can either call 311(504-658-2299) or go to ready.nola.gov/getvaccine to register. When appointments become available for New Orleans’ current supply of 200-300 doses each week, waitlist members will be contacted.
The waitlist system will also allow providers who have extra doses available at the end of the day to quickly find people to give them to. It will clarify for the city which zip codes and demographics are not signing up for the waitlist so that New Orleans can ensure that the vaccine is being equitably distributed.
“COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact, highlighting longstanding inequities in the health of many groups in our community,” NOHD Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno said. “Providing the COVID-19 vaccine to seniors of color, low-income seniors, and those with functional and access needs continues to be a top priority for Mayor Cantrell and the New Orleans Health Department. This waitlist will help us ensure that New Orleans’ most vulnerable residents have access to the vaccine.”
Currently, COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed in all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes and 9 health regions. The people who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine are:
- Persons 65 and older
- Dialysis providers and patients
- Ambulatory and outpatient providers and staff
- Behavioral health providers and staff
- Urgent care clinic providers and staff
- Community care providers and staff
- Dental providers and staff
- Professional home care providers (including hospice workers) and home care recipients (including older and younger people with disabilities over the age of 16 who receive community or home-based care, as well as clients of home health agencies)
- American Sign Language (ASL) and foreign language interpreters and Support Service Providers (SSPs) working in community and clinic-based settings, and clients who are both deaf and blind
- Health-related support personnel (lab staff, mortuary staff who have contact with corpses, pharmacy staff)
- Schools of allied health students, residents, and staff
- Law enforcement and other first responders
- Louisiana Unified Command Group
- State and local essential COVID emergency response personnel
- Some elections staff ahead of March elections
Eventually, the waitlist’s eligibility will expand as new groups are allowed to get the vaccine. If you sign up for the waitlist now before you are eligible, they will alert you when you finally do become eligible.
Although the waitlist has made getting a vaccine way easier, people are still encouraged to directly seek vaccine appointments through the pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals that are offering them. Those providers will still run their own waitlists.
Residents have to arrange their own transportation to vaccine appointments or they can schedule RTA paratransit by calling 504-827-7433. The second dose appointment will be scheduled after the first dose is received.
So far, New Orleans has provided 850 vaccines to residents in the Phase 1A and Phase 1B, Tier 1 priority groups. With over 388,000 residents, the city still has a long way to go so this centralized waitlist is a welcomed innovation.
