High number of hospital staff not getting COVID vaccine as experts discuss the idea of doubling up on mask-wearing

BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) - The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has had a hard time sticking to the plan.

Thousands of people have had their appointments rescheduled due to lack of supply.

Now we're learning more than half of Ochsner system staff have not been vaccinated despite being eligible for several weeks.

"False information, I would say, on the internet about fertility, that sort of thing. Our workforce does have a lot of young staff that have concerns about that," said Dr. Robert Hart, Ochsner Chief Medical Officer.

As we wait for the vaccine supply to catch up with the demand, masks aren't going away anytime soon, especially now that there's a new variant of the virus out there.

So experts suggest we double up on our masks.

"So it's a suggestion, but that suggestion also goes along with maintaining social distancing whenever you can and of course good hand hygiene," said Connie DeLeo, Infection Preventionist with Baton Rouge General.

DeLeo said the CDC hasn't come out with an official recommendation on double mask-wearing.

Whether it's a single or you're layering up, experts say the science shows a mask helps prevent the spread of the virus.

DeLeo suggested, "think about people who are at high risk like the elderly or someone you might be next to in general public that is ill. That has some underlying condition you don't know about by looking at them. If you're not so worried about yourself, worry about them."

LATEST POSTS