UPDATED WITH VACCINATION DATA: Sleeves Up event comes to Siracusaville Rec Center

A state initiative came to Morgan City on Saturday to persuade African Americans that COVID-19 is safe and effective.

Louisiana National Guard troops and representatives of the Louisiana Department of Health set up a makeshift vaccination clinic in the gym of the Siracusaville Recreation Center and Park, offering free shots. The final count says 102 people were vaccinated.

The vaccination effort was one response to one of the coronavirus pandemic's ironies: African American people were hit harder by COVID-19 than their white neighbors, yet the early signs were that blacks were more hesitant to receive COVID vaccinations, and they were more difficult to reach when vaccine was available.

Meanwhile, the race is on to vaccinate people of all ethnicities before more virulent and more easily spread COVID variants have a big impact here. The Department of Health already lists St. Mary as a high-risk parish because the average weekly positivity rate on COVID tests has risen above 10%.

In St. Mary, African Americans make up about 32% of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But 46% of the first 123 COVID-related fatalities were among blacks. Among the first 3,435 people who tested positive for COVID, 41% were black, according to Louisiana Office of Public Health statistics.

There are signs attitudes are changing. An NPR-PBS News Hour-Marist poll earlier this month found that African Americans were actually more likely to have received a COVID shot or to have plans to get vaccinated (73%) compared to whites (70%).

One key may have been uncovered by a study at California's Loma Linda University. It found that blacks are more likely to seek vaccination when there's a link to a church.
That was the case with the Sleeves Up event at the Siracusaville Recreation Center.

"We initiated it," said the Rev. Charles Oatis, pastor at New Mount Esther Baptist Church, 1211 James St. in Morgan City. "We did it because of the community and concern about public health.

"Every community leader needs to step up at a time like this to eradicate the worst pandemic of our time."

Other leaders answered that call Saturday. Among the people who came by the center were state Rep. Vincent St. Blanc, R-Franklin; Dr. Chip Riggins, medical director of Louisiana Department of Health Region 3, which stretches east from St. Mary to St. John the Baptist Parish; and St. Mary Parish Councilman Mark Duhon of Amelia.

The Louisiana state government and Southern University are among the government entities that have launched initiatives to reassure African Americans that the COVID-19 is safe and that it works.

Oatis said he's seen the vaccine hesitancy among members of the black community. Some of that reluctance comes from confusion over reports about the effectiveness of one vaccine over another.

"The message is clear, but it's also convoluted," Oatis said. "The potency of the vaccine has been a mixed message. That confusion brought about some resistance."

But Oatis wants to press on with the effort.

"We're familiar with the disproportionate impact on the African American community," he said. "We're trying to keep the African American community safe, strong and alive."

Friday's Office of Public Health report on Louisiana COVID cases put the number of confirmed positives at 398,816 since the pandemic began, with another 64,253 probable cases. The pandemic death toll is now at 9,258 confirmed with 829 probable.

St. Mary's case count is 3,514 confirmed with 936 probable. The parish has had 113 confirmed COVID-related fatalities with 15 probably COVID-related.

St. Martin has had 4,544 confirmed positives with 437 probable. The death toll there is at 104 confirmed with 11 probable.

Assumption Parish has had 1,552 confirmed positives with 580 probable. Twenty-nine confirmed COVID-related deaths have been reported along with six probable.

Statewide, 378 COVID-positive people were in hospitals Friday, and 62 were on ventilators.

Nearly 17% of people in Region 3 have received at least one COVID shot, according to the Office of Public Health.

On Monday, vaccine eligibility was expanded to include all Louisiana people over 18, and over 16 for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.