The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has quickly spread across the United States. Louisiana and the Gulf South are in a fifth surge, but we have many resources to keep you and your family safe and informed.
The emergence of the Omicron variant has made booster shots more important than ever. A booster shot continues providing longer-term protection and reduces the risk of severe disease and hospitalization. Preliminary studies have found that Omicron reduces the efficacy of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine, but a booster shot offers a significantly increased level of protection.
Get the Facts: Omicron Variant
Find Vaccine or Booster Locations Near You
Schedule your Vaccine or Booster Appointment through MyOchsner
Effective immediately, Ochsner urgent care clinics and emergency departments will no longer be providing COVID-19 tests for people experiencing no symptoms (asymptomatic), and rapid testing will be very limited at all Ochsner locations, including urgent care clinics, emergency departments and community testing sites.
Please use at-home tests or community testing sites to seek COVID-19 tests, for travel, exposure, or employer-required return to work testing, and the COVID-19 Self-Care and Symptom Monitoring Program if possible. A positive at-home test does not need to be confirmed in Ochsner facilities and a visit to the emergency department will result in an emergency department bill, which is far more expensive than an at-home COVID-19 test.
Our emergency departments and clinics have seen record-breaking volumes of patients with mild or no symptoms seeking rapid COVID-19 tests. To ensure that our community members who need it can receive critical or life-saving care, patients will have medical screening exams to seek status of emergency medical conditions. Rapid testing will be limited to patients with medical conditions who are determined to need immediate COVID-19 status awareness after a medical screening exam is performed. Patients will get results via MyOchsner/MyChart or by phone, if a patient does not have a MyOchsner account. Results for PCR tests may take up to 72 hours.
The Omicron variant is highly contagious but appears to cause milder symptoms than previous variants, especially in fully vaccinated and boosted people. Holiday travel and gatherings have increased testing demand. If you are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed, below are testing and treatment resources, including at-home options that allow for safe monitoring with the ability to triage for urgent needs.
At-home rapid tests are effective at detecting the Omicron variant and are a convenient way to learn your COVID-19 status. If seeking a test, we strongly recommend at-home testing. Ochsner recognizes that at-home tests may be in shorter supply, so we recommend isolating without a positive test if you are experiencing mild or moderate symptoms or utilizing community testing sites.
Please do not visit urgent care unless you need immediate attention. Our urgent care clinics are seeing record volume with long wait times. People use urgent care centers for high fevers, accidents, falls, injuries like cuts, minor breaks, sprains and strains, and other illnesses. As a community we need to ensure people who need Ochsner’s care can receive it. Please use at-home tests or community testing sites to seek COVID-19 tests, for travel and exposure testing, and the COVID-19 Self Care and Symptom Monitoring Program if possible. A positive at-home test does not need to be confirmed in an Ochsner urgent care.
Virtual visits remain available for common illnesses and urgent care needs. If you'd like to see a provider without leaving home, visit ochsner.org/anywhere to start an Ochsner Anywhere Care virtual visit.
Please do not visit emergency departments unless you have medical needs that warrant emergency care. Our emergency departments are seeing record volume with extraordinarily long waits. Please do not visit emergency departments if you are asymptomatic or mildly sick or are only seeking a COVID-19 test. The emergency department is a place for true emergencies, such as difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, severe accidents, heart attacks, strokes, gunshots and other major wounds. Using the emergency department for care other than emergencies takes precious resources away from patients in need of lifesaving care. As a community, we need to ensure the people who need Ochsner’s care can receive it. Please use at-home tests or community testing sites to seek COVID-19 tests, and the COVID-19 Self Care and Symptom Monitoring Program if possible. A positive at-home test does not need to be confirmed in an Ochsner emergency room, and a visit to the emergency department will result in an emergency department bill, which is far more expensive than an at-home COVID-19 test.
If you do not need emergency medical care, please visit ochsner.org/testing for testing locations, where you will be billed only for testing, not an emergency room visit.
Please remember that staffing is still a significant challenge for Ochsner and healthcare systems around the country. We thank you for your patience.
One year after administering Louisiana’s first COVID-19 vaccines to healthcare workers who had been fighting the virus since its onset, Ochsner Health shares vaccine milestones and reflections from healthcare heroes who were among the first in the country to receive the lifesaving vaccine. In one year, Ochsner administered nearly 650,000 vaccine doses and hosted 1,343 community vaccination events.
Preliminary studies have found that the Omicron variant reduces the efficacy of two-dose COVID-19 vaccines, but a booster shot offers a significantly increased level of protection. The studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are less effective against the Omicron variant than they have been against the Delta strain and other variants.
Get the facts: Omicron variant
Vaccines are still the best defense when it comes to slowing the spread and preventing severe symptoms or illness leading to hospitalization or death.
To make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, visit myochsner.org or call 844-888-2772. Or, find a community vaccine event here: ochsner.org/vaccineinfo.
The Centers for Disease Control says all fully vaccinated individuals ages 12 and over should receive the booster shot if it's been at least five months since you completed the Pfizer vaccine series, five months since you completed the Moderna vaccine series or at least two months since you received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. At this time, only the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for children aged 5-17.
As part of our enduring commitment to the health and safety of our patients and care teams, Ochsner Health requires COVID-19 vaccinations of all of our employees, physicians, and anyone involved in patient care.
The safety and effectiveness of the vaccines is proven. We join physicians, researchers and global healthcare leaders who consistently agree that the safe, effective vaccines available to us prevent death, hospitalization and severe disease.
In accordance with the federal mask mandate, Ochsner Health requires the use of masks at all hospitals and clinics.
The COVID-19 vaccines can have mild side effects, but the vast majority are very short term and are not serious or dangerous. While some people experience one to two days of discomfort where they were injected, body aches, headaches or fever, these are signs that the vaccine is working to stimulate your immune system. The vaccines are not resulting in any serious illnesses or deaths.
Nearly all patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. are unvaccinated. Louisiana and Mississippi rank among the lowest in the nation in vaccination rates, leading to the high infection and hospitalization rates in our states. Getting vaccinated protects you from contracting the virus, but most importantly, it protects you from the more severe symptoms experienced by unvaccinated individuals that lead to hospitalization and death.
Unlike previous strains of the virus, the Delta variant is having a greater impact on infection rates and hospitalizations among children and younger people. A recent study showed that children and adults under age 50 were 2.5 times more likely to become infected with Delta compared to those older than 50 years. Our hospitals are caring for more children with COVID-19 now than at any other point in the pandemic.
Get vaccinated! The vast majority of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Ochsner are unvaccinated. In order to protect ourselves and our loved ones from Delta and other variants that could emerge in the future, a significant portion of the population must be vaccinated. Find vaccine locations here.
The Delta variant has proven to be more contagious and is spreading rapidly throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. Across the region, more people are hospitalized with COVID-19 now than any of the previous COVID-19 surges. During this time of uncontrolled viral spread, fully vaccinated individuals should protect themselves and others by practicing good hand hygiene, wearing face masks and social distancing in public gatherings. Avoiding large gatherings completely will further reduce your risk.
The Centers for Disease Control says all fully vaccinated individuals ages 12 and over should receive the booster shot if it's been at least five months since you completed the Pfizer vaccine series, five months since you completed the Moderna vaccine series or at least two months since you received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
Symptoms can be very similar to the flu or cold. If you develop these symptoms or have been in contact with someone known to have COVID-19:
Call the Ochsner COVID-19 Info Line:
COVID-19 Info Line at 1-844-888-2772
For general information, dial the Louisiana hotline, 211, or text the keyword LACOVID to 898211.
The Louisiana Department of Health offers COVID-19 testing seven days a week. Please click here for a full list of testing locations.
If you are unsure about if or when you should be tested, talk with a provider virtually with Ochsner Anywhere Care for medical advice in minutes. Ochsner Anywhere Care cannot place orders for COVID-19 testing or infusions.
COVID-19 & Antibody Testing Ochsner Anywhere Care
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