Free flu vaccines were given to 5,057 residents throughout Louisiana during the first hour of the state’s mass vaccination effort. The free vaccines continue until 7:30 p.m. this evening at nine locations.

Any citizen older than six months of age can still receive this free vaccine today.

“We are very pleased with the turnout today,” said Dr. Roxane Townsend, LDH secretary. “By participating, citizens will be better prepared for the upcoming flu season, and our agency will be better prepared to respond if an emergency ever requires us to open up sites to dispense medications.”

Townsend said the drill is designed to test the health department’s ability to alert people to an emergency situation, identify and prepare a Point of Dispensing site (POD site) where medicines can be given to the general public, recruit medical volunteers and record and track the number of people served. The exercise is a requirement of a federal grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Although we have been planning for this day for several months, we should now have the resources and the experience to quickly open up sites such as these and properly staff them,” added Townsend.

First hour results from the nine locations are listed below:

Alexandria       
428 shots       
Alexandria Senior High School  
800 Ola Lane      

Baton Rouge
591 shots
Bon Carre Business Center
7173 Florida Boulevard

Hammond
549 shots
Woodland Park Baptist Church
1909 J.W. Davis Dr.

Lafayette       
258 shots       
St. Edmond Family Center    
4131 W. Congress Street   

Lake Charles
413 shots
Glad Tidings Church
3400 Texas Street 

Monroe
508 shots
First Baptist Church
500 Pine Street

New Orleans       
694 shots       
University of New Orleans   
Recreation and Fitness Center    

Shreveport
843 shots
Summer Grove Baptist Church
8924 Jewella Avenue

Thibodaux
773 shots
Thibodaux Civic Center
310 North Canal Boulevard

753 Department of Health - Office of Public Health employees and 185 volunteers are working at the nine regional Point of Dispensing sites around the state to provide the general public with the seasonal flu vaccine.

Alexandria       
61  LDH-OPH                               
34  Volunteers                                                                                 

Baton Rouge
91  LDH-OPH
9   Volunteers 

Hammond
98 LDH-OPH
13 Volunteers

Lafayette       
68  LDH-OPH                                           
22  Volunteers                                                                                 

Lake Charles
58  LDH-OPH
25  Volunteers

Monroe
44 LDH-OPH
23 Volunteers

New Orleans       
151  LDH-OPH                               
23  Volunteers                                                                                

Shreveport
57   LDH-OPH
6   Volunteers

Thibodaux
79 LDH-OPH
30 Volunteers