Group COVID-19 vaccinations are now available

Several COVID-19 vaccine clinics were held March 30 at Cafe Evangeline. Pharmacist Nick LeBas, whose pharmacy, Evangeline Drugstore, has been holding vaccination clinics for the last eight weeks or so at Cafe Evangeline, across the street from his pharmacy. Cafe Evangeline owner/chef Jay Gielow offered LeBas the use of his restaurant for the clinics because he has more space than the pharmacy.
LeBas holds the clinics on Mondays and Tuesdays and averages 50-60 doses a day. He still gives them at his pharmacy, but he said it’s more time efficient to have a group clinic. “For me, it helps me to come in here and do 20-25 an hour as opposed to it taking me six hours to do the same amount of people at my pharmacy,” he said, adding he is impressed with the number of people who want to get the vaccine. “We’re seeing a lot of interest in it.”
LeBas carries the Moderna vaccine and said it is “incredibly safe,” adding, “Once you have your second dose, if you come into contact with the virus, you have a 95% of it not doing a darn thing to you. That’s very good odds, as opposed to the flu shot, which runs anywhere from 41% to 50% efficacy, which means it’s only about half effective. This is almost twice as effective as the flu shot. It’s a very, very good vaccine.”
According to LeBas, the Biden administration came out with a report that looks like they may move from mass vaccine clinics to small venues like pharmacies. “They’re finding that mass clinics are expensive and cumbersome, whereas it looks like everything is running smooth through local clinics and pharmacies,” he said.
Louisiana recently starting allowing children 16 and above to get the vaccine. The Moderna brand, which LeBas provides, is only for ages 18 and above. He said the Pfizer brand allows for ages 16 and up. Mercy Regional Medical Center carries Pfizer. If someone wants a vaccine for their 16-17-year-old child, LeBas will direct them to the right place. “We want everybody vaccinated or as many as possible. As soon as people get vaccinated, the sooner we get herd immunity, and the sooner we can open back up everything,” he said.
LeBas said when it comes to which vaccine is best, Pfizer and Modern are both about 95% where Johnson & Johnson is 65%-70% effective. The plus with Johnson & Johnson is a one-dose vaccine. “With all three, you’re still seeing zero deaths after being diagnosed with COVID, post vaccination.”
According to LeBas, he is seeing the number of COVID cases decline due to a combination of vaccinations and a number of people who had COVID. “If you had COVID, they still recommend getting the vaccine, depending on your treatment, 30-90 days out,” he said.
When asked if he has seen any COVID variant cases, LeBas said, “Not really. I don’t know if it’s just because we’re rural, but we’ve definitely seen the number of our COVID cases plummet.” About three weeks ago he spoke to Dr. Scott Parks, head of Opelousas General Hospital, who told him their numbers are down as far as admits to the hospital. “We’re seeing a positive step,” said LeBas.
The most positive thing LeBas has seen with the vaccine is when someone is two weeks past their second dose, there have been zero incidents of death across the United States. “That’s a big deal for a vaccine.”
When asked about people dying from the vaccine, LeBas said, “Unless there’s substantial proof and not hearsay on social media ... there could be instances where people had an allergic reaction, but we see that with going to the doctor and getting medications or going to the hospital and starting you on a new antibiotic you’ve never had before. At all times there’s a risk. We’re not seeing that, though.” His recommendation is for everyone who is capable of getting the vaccine to get it.
Again, there is no cost to the public. If a patient has insurance, the company will be billed, but if they do not have insurance, the pharmacies are paid through a federal program. “We’re not turning anybody away,” said LeBas.
When asked why he decided to hold a vaccine clinic at his restaurant, Gielow said LeBas is a friend and he saw how bogged down he was getting at the pharmacy. “For us to be able to help with facilitating hundreds of vaccines just through our four walls of our business, that’s really great. We’re excited to be a part of that. When he asked us to host a group vaccine, it was not a problems whatsoever. Both my wife and I are very happy to help out.”
“I really appreciate Jay letting us use Cafe Evangeline,” said LeBas. “We’re a small community. He’s helping me, and we’re going to help him when we get a chance. In small towns, that’s how it’s supposed to work.”