BATON ROUGE - The number of people successfully vaccinated in Louisiana has now surpassed the total number of COVID-19 cases reported in the state since the start of the pandemic.

Governor John Bel Edwards touted the milestone in a press briefing Tuesday, exactly one year from the day Louisiana reported its first known case of the virus. At the time of the news conference, the state had reported 434,926 total cases since last March.

As of Tuesday, Louisiana had completed 448,730 vaccine series since vaccination efforts began in December. That number includes those who received both shots of the two-step Moderna and Pfizer vaccines or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, more than 784,000 people have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine.

Louisiana pushed its vaccine rollout even further Tuesday, with the governor announcing a greatly expanded eligibility pool for those looking to get a shot. Under the new regulations, those 16 and older with a pre-existing condition can now get the vaccine. 

You can read more on vaccine eligibility in Louisiana here.