Have you ever smoked 100 cigarettes in your life? Can you pick up and quit a pack a day for the next two weeks? Are you able to look into the eyes of a healthcare professional and lie? I do not tolerate these things, but if any of the above applies to you, and you are a resident of North Carolina, you may be eligible to receive your covid-19 vaccine by the end of the month.
Today, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced that on March 24, the state will begin to open the vaccine’s eligibility for Group 4, a large band that includes people living in group settings, additional frontline employees and people aged between 16 and 64 with medical conditions that put them at greater risk – among them, asthma, cancer and “smoking”, which is defined as have smoked 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. Five packages over a lifetime.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has designated Group 4 medical conditions that put people at greater risk of contracting severe covid-19 disease, as recommended 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’s syndrome
- A heart disease, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) of: immune deficiencies, HIV, chronic use of steroids or other drugs to weaken the immune system, history of transplantation of solid organ blood or bone marrow
- Liver disease, including hepatitis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Overweight or obesity
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease (not including the sickle cell trait) or thalassemia
- Smoking (current or previous, defined as having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your lifetime)
Social smoking and cheating cigarettes included.
The governor’s office was not immediately available to comment on whether doctors will use the honor system or whether vaporization counts, but does it matter? This can compel some people to, say, revisit the Discovery of the CDC that smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide and for Google permanent lung damage (this is not good). And then maybe check out some state health resources.
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As of tomorrow, the state will start expanding eligibility for Group 3, who, through no fault of their own, are essential frontline workers. This includes people working in daycare centers, supermarkets, manufacturing, food production, transportation, health, public safety and government services.
You (me, ahhhckkk-heeehh-ahem) can feel a little less terrible with President Biden announcement today that the US may have enough stock available to vaccinate all adult Americans by May, moving forward in the timeline July. So, maybe just wait for those Marlboros.