Expanding Eligibility
As of Monday, residents 50 and older with medical conditions or disabilities and caregiver family members and guardians who care for children with special health care needs, in addition to frontline essential workers such as healthcare workers, long-term care workers, and food and agriculture workers are eligible to receive the vaccine.
What medical conditions will make you eligible to receive the vaccine? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals with the following conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Down Syndrome
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2 )
- Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 )
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Smoking
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
The following medical conditions may place an individual at an increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19, and therefore eligible for vaccination in ages 50 and above:
- Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
- Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
- Liver disease
- Overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2 , but < 30 kg/m2 )
- Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
- Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
To learn more about these medical conditions, click here.
