The state of California is allowing individuals with one of 10 comorbidities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting on Monday – including severe obesity, defined as a body mass index of 40kg / m2 or higher, or more commonly referred to as a BMI of 40 or above.
To put this in perspective, a 5-foot, 6-inch adult weighing 250 pounds has a BMI of 40.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers anyone with a BMI of 30 or more to be obese, and the city of San Francisco is expanding the state’s definition of qualifying conditions and allowing those who are technically obese by CDC standards to be vaccinated. .
In summary: Californians with a BMI of 40 or more can be vaccinated, while SF residents with a BMI of 30 or more qualify for the vaccine.
The discrepancy between state and SF qualifications is confusing, as you need to access the state’s My Turn website to sign up for appointments at vaccine locations administered by the city of SF, such as the Moscone Center. The My Turn website requires users to check a box indicating that they are eligible for the vaccine; the obesity option indicates a BMI of 40 and above.
SF supervisor Matt Haney addressed the problem on Twitter on Monday and wrote that SF residents can check the box “40 and above” if their BMI falls between 30 and 39.
“Anyone with a BMI of 30 or more in San Francisco is also eligible for the vaccine as of today,” Haney wrote on twitter. When asked about problems with registration on the state website, he clarified: “It’s my turn that the problem is. People still qualify and should choose 40>.”
CDC offers an online tool that calculates your BMI. While the medical community defines BMI as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters, the tool uses the United States system of feet, inches and pounds.
2019 CDC data indicated that 26% of adults in California had a BMI of 30 or higher. This is less than the national average of 42%.
The research found that having obesity increases the risk of serious COVID disease and can triple the risk of hospitalization due to infection, according to the CDC. Obesity is also linked to impaired immune function and decreases lung capacity and reserve, which can hamper ventilation, said the CDC.
California opened COVID-19 vaccines on Monday to people with one of the following 10 conditions considered “serious” by the state: cancer; chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or higher; chronic lung disease; Down’s syndrome; weakened immune system due to solid organ transplantation; pregnancy; sickle cell anemia; heart disease, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies (but not hypertension); severe obesity; and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Individuals with disabilities are also eligible, and the state has provided many examples of people who fall into this category, including people using regional centers, independent living centers, home support services, adult health centers, HIV / AIDS Medi exemptions. -Cal and Medi-Cal community and home based alternative exemptions, Medi-Cal assisted living exemptions, California Children’s Services Program (if child is 16 to 21 years old) and People with Genetic Disabilities Program from California.
The California Department of Public Health released guidelines on Thursday and said that people with these high-risk conditions or disabilities will not be required to provide documentation to verify their diagnosis for getting vaccines, but may be asked to sign a self-report that they meet the criteria.
The state recommended that eligible people start by contacting their health care providers. The state also suggests checking the My Turn website regularly, as new appointments are added daily.