MADISON, Wis. The Department of Health Services in Wisconsin on Thursday announced a list of 20 underlying conditions that will determine the next group of people eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine from March 29.
Among the list of qualifying conditions are overweight (defined as a body mass index or BMI of 25-29) or obese (a BMI of 30 or higher). Your BMI is calculated based on your height and weight, but many people may not know what their BMI is – and whether they may soon be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Fortunately, the CDC has a free BMI calculator that can do the math for you.
Based on the new DHS guideline, anyone with a BMI of 25 or older will soon be eligible to receive the vaccine. It can cover a majority of adults in Wisconsin. DHS data from 2018 show that approximately 64% of the state’s adult population is considered overweight or obese by BMI. Health officials estimate that more than 2 million people are eligible for the vaccine in the next phase, which begins on March 29.
Those who do not have any of the twenty conditions set out by government officials are eligible when vaccinations are available to the general public, which is expected to be sometime in May. President Joe Biden said he expects there will be enough doses of the vaccine for every adult in the country by the end of the month.
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