Have you smoked 100 cigarettes in your life? Can you start a pack-a-day habit in the next two weeks? Are you able to look a health worker squarely in the eye and lie? I don’t approve of these things, but if any of the above applies to you, and you are a resident of North Carolina, you may be eligible for your covid-19 vaccine by the end of the month.
Today, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced that on March 24, the state will begin opening up vaccine eligibility to Group 4, much of that includes people living in groups, additional frontline workers and those aged 16-64 with medical conditions that put them at higher risk – including asthma, cancer and ‘smoking’, which is defined as Have smoked 100 cigarettes in the course of your life. Five packs over a lifetime.
Designated the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Group 4 medical conditions that put people at higher risk for severe Covid-19 disease, as advised by the CDC
- Asthma (moderate to severe)
- Cancer
- Cerebrovascular disease or history of stroke
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Dementia or other neurological condition
- Type 1 or 2 diabetes
- Down syndrome
- A heart condition such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) due to: immune deficiencies, HIV, ingestion of chronic steroids or other immune-weakening drugs, history of solid organ blood or bone marrow transplant
- Liver disease, including hepatitis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Overweight or obese
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease (excluding sickle cell trait) or thalassemia
- Smoking (current or former, defined as at least 100 cigarettes smoked during their lifetime)
Includes social smoking and cheat cigs.
The governor’s office wasn’t immediately available to comment on whether doctors will use the honor system or whether vaping counts, but does it matter? This could force some people to, say, it CDC’s Finding that smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide and for Google permanently lung damage (it is not good). And then maybe check a little state health resources
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From tomorrow, the state will do that begin to expand eligible for Group 3, who, through no fault of their own, are essential frontline workers. These include people who work in daycare centers, supermarkets, manufacturing, food production, transportation, healthcare, public safety and government services.
You (me, ahhhckkk-heeehh-ahem) might feel a little less awful with President Biden’s Announcement today that the US may have enough supply available to vaccinate every adult American by May, pushing the timeline higher from JulySo maybe wait with those Marlboros.