BATON ROUGE - As COVID-19 cases run rampant across the state, more and more people are looking to the vaccine for protection.

Maverick Resner, 18, is one of them. He got his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center on Monday.

"It was very smooth. They got me in and out and I just had to wait 15 minutes before I could leave," Resner said.

He got the vaccine because he plans to attend LSU this fall and wanted to protect those around him.

"I'm pretty healthy, I'm pretty strong. My biggest worry is giving it to somebody else," Resner said.

Resner is one of 300 people who got the vaccine at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital on Monday. The number of vaccines given out in a single day is at a record high.

"I think our numbers will continue to rise. They have doubled since June. They continue to rise each week and today once again we're seeing over 100% more than we saw this time two weeks ago," said Thomas Dunn, Director of Vaccine Operations.

Dunn is pleased with the turnout because the unvaccinated make up the vast majority of hospitalized COVID patients in Louisiana.

"I stand by our organization and our leadership with the message that the
more vaccinated, the quicker we get back to normal and out of this pandemic," Dunn said.

Registration is recommended for vaccinations at the Pennington Center, but they will also accept walk-ins.