EL PASO, Texas – The requirements to belong to group 1B of the vaccination process are to be 65 years old or older, or to have a chronic medical condition.
Many El Paso residents have raised concerns for ABC-7 that the city’s health department is not checking the latter. It happens – you are right.
The city of El Paso is * not * checking whether people who want to get the vaccine really have chronic health problems.
Why not? Department of Public Health director Angela Mora says that doing so would cause problems:
“At the moment, for individuals who have a chronic condition, we are not currently asking for any evidence of a chronic condition. The state is considering individuals who would have difficulty contacting or accessing a medical provider to provide a letter stating that they have x or y medical condition. We know that we want to make sure that there are no barriers for individuals to get the vaccine if they have a chronic condition. “
This is the system right now, but it can change. Mora warned what will happen if people abuse her:
“So for now, we’re using the honor system. If you tell us you have a chronic condition, you can take everything you have to see if you have it. But if you don’t, we still vaccinate it. We’re using it for now. If we start to determine that community members are abusing this honor system, we will require proof of chronic condition. “
The director of public health says the city checks whether people are 65 or older; it says that you will need to provide an identity, such as a driver’s license or passport.
And healthcare professionals are asked to provide a work permit or paycheck that indicates where they work.
But of course, if the city has to change the policy, it will not affect someone who has already cheated the system – only potential future offenders.
And ABC-7 is by no means encouraging this – but it is important to get answers to these questions and to be transparent with the people of El Paso.