Have you ever smoked 100 cigarettes in your life? Can you tackle and kick a pack-a-day habit over the next two weeks? Can you look a health worker in the eye and lie? I do not accept these things, but if any of the above apply to you, and you are a North Carolina resident, you may be able to get your covid-19 vaccine by the end of the month.
Today, the Government of North Carolina, Roy Cooper announced that the state will begin eligibility for Group 4, a large portion of it, on March 24 includes people living in groups, additional frontline workers and people aged 16-64 with medical conditions that pose a higher risk to them – among them asthma, cancer and ‘smoking’, which are defined as over the course of a lifetime smoked 100 cigarettes. Five packs for a lifetime.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has been named Group 4 medical conditions that put people at higher risk for serious illness with covid-19, 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
- Immuno-compromised state (weakened immune system) of: immune deficiency, HIV, intake of chronic steroids or other immunosuppressive drugs, history of solid organ blood or bone marrow transplantation
- Liver disease, including hepatitis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Overweight or obesity
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease (not sickle cell trait) or thalassemia
- Smoking (current or former, defined as having smoked at least 100 cigarettes during their lifetime)
Social smoking and cheat cigs included.
The governor’s office was not immediately available to comment on whether doctors would use the honor system or that vaping counts, but does it matter? This may force some people to, for example, CDC’s finding that smoking worldwide is the leading cause of preventable deaths and that it is permanent at Google lung injury (this is not good). And then maybe look at public health resources.
G / O Media can get a commission
From tomorrow, the state will do it start expanding be eligible for Group 3, who, without fault of their own, are essential workers. This includes people working in child care centers, grocery stores, manufacturing, food production, transportation, health care, public safety and government services.
You (me, ahhhckkk-heeehh-ahem) may feel a little less awful with President Biden’s announcement today that the US may have enough stock available to vaccinate every adult American by May and move the timeline up from July. So just keep that Marlboros down.