STATEN ISLAND, NY – The state has expanded the group of people who qualify for a coronavirus vaccine (COVID-19) starting Feb. 15 to include people with certain comorbidities.
Ninety-four percent of COVID-19-related deaths in the state were people with underlying illnesses and co-morbidities.
The vaccine doses, which were scarce in the city and state, will come from local hospitals that no longer need them to vaccinate staff members – those in Group 1a of the state’s vaccine rollout plan.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Friday that hospitals have until Feb. 15 to vaccinate all staff or that their supplies will be reallocated to the Department of Health’s local vaccination sites to administer.
Cuomo’s office has released the following list of eligible co-morbidities at risk of serious illness from COVID-19:
- Cancer (current or in remission, including 9/11-related cancers)
- Chronic kidney disease
- Pulmonary disease, including but not limited to COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate to severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11 related lung diseases
- Intellectual and developmental disorders, including Down syndrome
- Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, or hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Immune-compromised state (weakened immune system), including but not limited to solid organ transplant or by blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, corticosteroid use, use of other immune-weakening drugs, or other causes
- Severe obesity (body mass index of 40 kg / m2) and obesity (body mass index of 30 kg / m2 or higher but less than 40 kg / m2)
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease or thalassemia
- Diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2
- Cerebrovascular disease, which affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain
- Neurological conditions, including but not limited to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia
- Liver disease
“New Yorkers with co-morbidities and underlying conditions exist throughout the population of the state – it’s our teachers, lawyers and carpenters, in addition to the doctors who keep us safe every day, and they are a badly affected population,” said Cuomo .
The list of comorbidities released by the state is nearly identical to the list first released by the Centers for Disease Control in late December, but they have not been eligible for vaccination until now.
Those with the aforementioned comorbidities can make appointments by Feb. 15, Cuomo said. However, as of Saturday afternoon, the city and state websites did not display the updated information.
Last week, the city also expanded its list of eligible vaccines following state approval to include restaurant workers, rental drivers, and residents and workers living in group homes for people with developmental disabilities.
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