The City of New Orleans and the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale will host a free, drive-thru flu shot event from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at Joe Brown Park, 5601 Read Blvd. Similar to a mass flu shot event earlier this month, this event will also serve as an opportunity for local public health officials to test plans for future large-scale administration of FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines.
“This is a great opportunity for us to not only offer flu shots to our residents, but also to test our vaccine administration capabilities,” says New Orleans Health Department Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno. “COVID vaccination begins this week for our first priority groups and is expected to be available to the general public in the Spring/Summer of 2021. At that time, it will be an all-hands-on-deck operation to vaccinate our community. Partners like the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale and the hundreds of volunteers who have already trained with us will be essential in this monumental effort.”
Femme Fatale, New Orleans’ first Carnival Krewe founded by African-American women, is providing both medical and non-medical volunteers to staff the event and is helping to spread the word to the community members about the importance of the flu and and COVID-19 vaccines.
“The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale is more than a Mardi Gras krewe,” says Femme Fatale’s President and Captain Dr. Takeisha C. Davis, who is also CEO of New Orleans East Hospital. “We are a sisterhood of over 800 women committed to serving our community and we are delighted to partner with the City of New Orleans to help fight the flu during our current public health crisis.”
Individuals ages six months and older are eligible to receive a free flu shot. No identification or health insurance is required and there is no need to pre-register. Flu shots will be issued on a first come, first served basis until the 1,000 maximum number is reached.
This event is happening in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health, New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, New Orleans East Hospital, and the New Orleans Recreation Department.
For more information on how to volunteer to support COVID-19 vaccination efforts, click here. For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine administration in New Orleans, visit ready.nola.gov/vaccine.
