BATON ROUGE - The number of people who have started the COVID-19 vaccination process in Louisiana has now eclipsed the number of total confirmed virus cases in the state since the pandemic began last year.

On Tuesday, Governor Edwards said the state had initiated 448,122 vaccine series in the state. The current Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both require a two-shot series to achieve full efficacy. A total of 189,239 people in the state have received both shots so far.

The state also announced it will receive a total of 74,250 vaccine doses next week. That number does not include thousands of dose going straight to providers through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.

As of now, providers across the state are only offering vaccines to those who are 65 and older or who fall into designated groups. You can read more about who's eligible for the vaccine here.