Some New Jersey residents are furious after state officials prioritized COVID-19 vaccines this week for smokers rather than educators and public transport workers. On Thursday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy opened eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination for smokers, who were categorized as part of a group of “high-risk individuals”.
The reaction on social media was quick.
@PhilMurphyNJ I respect and appreciate everything you did for NJ in front of Covid, but smokers before teachers when it comes to vaccines? !! This is absurd !! Smokers chose their health problems, teachers need to be in the classroom safely as soon as possible!
– Marc-my-words (@mdbteach) January 14, 2021
How is it that in NJ SMOKERS can now get the vaccine but the TEACHERS still can’t ???
– Laurie Smith Wood (@LaurieSmithWood) January 14, 2021
I am a smoker in NJ and have chosen not to sign up yet. Hopefully, others will do the same. Teachers must absolutely understand first. I can choose to stay at home and reduce the risk of getting the virus
– Dina Lauren (@Dina_Lauren) January 15, 2021
As of now, people in the following groups can be vaccinated in the state of New Jersey, according to the state’s COVID-19 Information Center:
It is the “high-risk individuals” category that has raised questions. In addition to individuals aged 65 and over, this includes people with the following health problems, by state:
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Cancer
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Chronic kidney disease
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COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
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Down’s syndrome
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Heart problems such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
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Obesity
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Severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg / m2)
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Sickle cell anemia
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Smoke
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Type 2 diabetes mellitus
While the state has just opened vaccines for first responders and high-risk individuals, he says online that additional essential frontline workers will be next, followed by “other essential workers” and the general population.
Other states did not prioritize smokers, but some did not prioritize teachers. Alabama recently dropped teachers at the vaccine priority line. While teachers are part of the implementation of the state’s Phase 1B vaccine behind frontline health professionals and long-term residents, other essential professionals, such as first responders and those aged 75 and over, have been moved ahead of them. Meanwhile, some states like Maryland plan to open vaccinations for teachers as early as Monday.
Many teachers in New Jersey are “irritated” by the decision and “feel devalued,” Donna M. Chiera, president of the American Federation of Teachers of New Jersey, told Yahoo Life. “It’s a mixed message from the state,” she says. “We were told that we need to put students back in class and normalize the educational system, but we need to do this safely”.
“We understand that smoking is an addiction and that it is not easy to stop, and that these people are at greater risk if they contract the virus,” she explains. “But you can’t say that opening schools is a top priority if you continue to move teachers down the list.”
Chiera says she has also heard of many people in higher education who are frustrated to be in the 1C group for vaccination, behind teachers in lower education, who are in group 1B. “They were already bothered by having to wait in line for the entire 1B, and now we have expanded the 1B so they have to wait until May or June to get vaccinated,” she says. “It is very disconcerting for everyone who tells us that education is valued and that we need to open schools and universities, but now we have lost the vaccination tool to do this safely”.
“We said from the beginning that educators should have priority access to the vaccine. It is an important step towards a safer return to personal learning, ”said Steven Baker, director of the New Jersey Education Association, to Yahoo Life. have been in constant communication with state authorities regarding educators’ access to vaccination. We reiterate to them the need to do whatever is necessary to streamline this access, even in light of the revised federal guidelines of the Trump administration and a slow federal implementation of the real vaccine. “
Baker hopes that, under Biden’s next administration, there will be “much better presidential leadership.”
“Our schools are very important to wait a day longer than necessary,” he says.
It is worth noting: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not mention smokers in its priority division for the COVID-19 vaccine. Under the guidance of the CDC, smokers would likely be vaccinated after phase 1C, along with other members of the public.
New Jersey’s move to prioritize smokers is still controversial among the medical community. “This is an unfortunate decision,” Dr. Richard Watkins, an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University, told Yahoo Life. “People choose to smoke and it has a very negative impact on their health.”
Watkins says it is “doubtful” that the early vaccination of smokers has a significant impact on the pandemic, but the same is not true for other groups. “Vaccinating teachers protects them and children,” he says. “For transport workers, it is similar in that it protects them so that the system can continue to operate and protect passengers”. Watkins says people who work in stores should also be given priority over smokers.
But prioritizing smokers is rooted in science, Dr. Michael Steinberg, medical director of the Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies, told Yahoo Life. “The strongest evidence we have is that current smokers are at greater risk of developing serious illnesses if they are infected with the virus,” he says. “The evidence that smokers are at greater risk of contracting the virus is less clear.” Smokers may be at greater risk of contracting the virus because they cannot wear a mask while smoking, and some may smoke in groups, he points out.
Prioritizing smokers is also in line with the general vaccination goals of the public. “The goal of the vaccine is to reduce the damage that this virus is causing, preventing serious illness and keeping people out of the hospital,” said infectious disease specialist Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Safety Yahoo Life. “Smokers, whether people like it or not, are at greater risk for complicated COVID.”
If the goal of the vaccine is to prevent serious illnesses, then “it is ideal for those who are most at risk for hospitalization and death,” says Adalja. He also adds: “The early launch of the vaccine in the United States was not really designed to limit the spread, but to prevent serious diseases, targeting those most at risk of hospitalization and death.”
It is “difficult” to try to compare risk between high-risk groups, such as smokers vs. educators vs. public transport workers, says Steinberg. “We just don’t have enough evidence to distinguish which factors pose the greatest risk,” he says. “Hopefully, as the vaccine distribution improves, we will have enough vaccine in a short time to vaccinate all high-risk people as quickly as possible.”
Overall, Steinberg recommends that smokers do their best to quit, whether they are prioritized for the vaccine or not. “As always, we suggest that the best advice for smokers, both in relation to the pandemic and beyond, is to stop smoking as soon as possible and make the most of the tobacco treatment resources available in your community.”
To latest coronavirus news and updates, go together on https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and immunocompromised remain the most at risk. If you have questions, consult the CDC’s and Who is it resource guides.
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