BATON ROUGE — Any Louisiana resident who is at least 16 years old and has at least one health condition that makes them more vulnerable to COVID-19 is eligible to get vaccinated against the disease, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Tuesday.

Edwards made the announcement exactly one year after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Louisiana. Sunday will be the one-year anniversary of the first confirmed COVID-19 death, he said.

Iberia Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Dionne Viator said that she welcomes the increased opportunity for those who are seeking a vaccination to be allowed to get one.

“I think that the more people that are vaccinated the better,” Viator said. “We support any effort that moves our parish to further immunity. As far as enhanced distribution efforts, we are still limited by the allocation we are given. However, we partner with LDH and our region at every opportunity to increase availability to our community.”

Qualifying health conditions as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include asthma, cancer, chronic kidney or liver disease, various heart conditions, high blood pressure, obesity, Down syndrome, being a current or former smoker, sickle cell disease, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and dementia. People who work at facilities where many people live together, such as prisons, also are eligible. All previously eligible groups still can get vaccinated, including anyone age 65 or older.

Only the Pfizer vaccine is cleared for use in 16- and 17-year-olds. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved for use by adults.

Edwards said he made the change because demand for vaccination appointments has eased, and federal officials have promised states a stable vaccine supply. Dr. Joseph Kanter with the Louisiana Department of Health said he expects Louisiana to get 102,330 doses next week, which would be about the same number as this week.

“If you have just become eligible, don’t pass up the opportunity,” Kanter said.

Louisiana residents who are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine can schedule an appointment with one of 618 providers this week, in addition to community vaccination events being held around the state. The list of providers and events are listed at the Louisiana Department of Health’s website. Residents also can call 211 to find a nearby provider.

More than 1.2 million doses have been administered in Louisiana, and almost 449,000 state residents are fully vaccinated, according to the health department’s most-recent count.

Daily Iberian Community Editor Dwayne Fatherree contributed to this report.

By age or condition:

• People 65 and older

• Dialysis providers and patients

• Pregnant women

By medical condition:

• People 18-64 (or 16+ for Pfizer vaccine only) with at least one of the conditions listed below by the CDC. To receive the vaccine, people with these underlying medical conditions should complete the Louisiana COVID-19 Vaccine Attestation Form before their appointment.

• Cancer

• Chronic kidney disease

• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

• Down syndrome

• Heart conditions including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies

• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant

• Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30kg/m2 or higher

• Sickle cell disease

• Current of former smoker

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

• Asthma (moderate-to-severe)

• Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)

• Cystic fibrosis

• Hypertension or high blood pressure

• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines

• Chronic liver disease

• Overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2, but < 30 kg/m2)

• Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)

• Severe neurologic conditions such as dementia

• Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)

• Type 1 diabetes mellitus

By work category:

• Ambulatory and outpatient providers and staff

• Dialysis providers

• Behavioral health providers and staff

• Urgent care clinic providers and staff

• Community care providers and staff

• Dental providers and staff

• Non-emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) providers and staff