The extension of eligibility listed only those that the state classified as ‘highest risk’, including individuals with cancer, heart disease and severe obesity.
But if you keep scrolling through the list, it also includes ‘individuals who are likely to contract serious life-threatening illnesses or deaths due to COVID’, and California officials advise health care providers to use their best clinical judgment.
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The announcement made many people with underlying health conditions wonder if it qualifies.
“I live with Axial Spondyloarthritis, which is an inflammatory condition that affects my entire body,” says disabled activist Charis Hill.
Hill has separated from the rest of the world over the past year in fear of getting COVID-19.
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“Because of my personal past, the most infectious hit me very hard,” Hill says. “Last year I went to the emergency room three times because of infections I could not fight at home. They and I know that infections pose a serious risk to me, whether it is sore throat or COVID.”
ABC7’s special correspondent, dr. Alok Patel, says he receives messages from Californians who are concerned that their underlying medical condition may not be represented in this high-risk group.
“My instinct tells me that there can be some discretion at the level of the provider. To say ‘Hey, you’re not in these listed disease categories, but you’re still immune weakened or you’re still at high risk.’ , “says dr. Patel.
This is the gray area that doctors in California are concerned about: they wonder how much influence they will have in deciding who is vaccinated.
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s leading public health spokeswoman, said supply was still limited.
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“It is very important that providers exercise a fair amount of recognition for the scare offer to ensure that those at greatest risk can get the vaccine,” adds Dr Burke Harris.
This thought makes many people underlying health conditions wondering if the state will eventually prioritize it.
“Personally, I think I qualify,” Hill says. “But there is no direction to prove that I qualify under the three stipulations.”
The expansion of the state’s fitness list will take effect on March 15.
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