The expansion of eligibility listed only those that the state classified as “highest risk”, including individuals with cancer, heart problems and severe obesity, among others.
But if you keep scrolling down the list, it will also include “individuals likely to develop serious life-threatening illness due to COVID,” and California officials advise healthcare professionals to use their best clinical judgment.
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The ad left many with underlying health problems wondering if they also qualified.
“I live with Axial Spondyloarthritis, which is an inflammatory disease that affects my entire body,” said activist Charis Hill.
Hill has isolated himself from the rest of the world for fear of catching COVID-19 last year.
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“Based on my personal past, the most contagious hit me very hard,” says Hill. “Last year, I went to the ER three times because of infections that I couldn’t fight at home. They and I know that infections pose a serious risk to me, whether it’s a throat infection or COVID.”
ABC7 special correspondent Dr. Alok Patel says he is receiving messages from Californians concerned that his medical condition may not be represented in this high-risk group.
“My gut tells me that there may be some criteria at the provider level. Saying ‘Hey, you are not in those listed disease categories, but you are still immunocompromised or still at high risk,'” said Dr. Patel.
This is the gray area that concerns some doctors in California: wondering how much influence they will have in deciding who will be vaccinated.
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s chief public health spokesperson, said supplies were still limited.
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“It is really crucial for providers to exercise fair recognition of the supply of scares to ensure that those who are most at risk can receive the vaccine,” adds Dr. Burke Harris.
This thinking leaves many with underlying health problems wondering whether the state will ultimately prioritize them.
“Personally, I think I qualify,” says Hill. “But there is no direction to prove that I qualify under these 3 stipulations.”
The expansion of the state’s eligibility list will take effect on March 15.
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