In the next round of eligibility for the Covid-19 vaccine announced by Wisconsin health officials on Thursday, a single metric of having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher will qualify individuals for the vaccine from 29 March.
A number of other medical conditions, 20 in total, form the basis for Phase 1C in Wisconsin. The group includes more than 2 million people, and anyone with one or more of the conditions listed and who is 16 or over will qualify for the vaccine at that time. Conditions include asthma, cancer, heart problems, obesity, liver disease, type 1 and 2 diabetes, pregnancy and more.
Do I need to prove my eligibility?
No. No one will need to present medical documentation that they have one of the medical conditions that qualify them to receive a vaccine in the next phase of the state, health officials said on Thursday.
If you choose to obtain the vaccine through a pharmacy or community vaccination site, some vaccinators may require an individual to sign a simple form. Others will only have to certify that they have one of the eligible conditions.
Officials said they would update the vaccine registration website across the state to reflect the new groups, who would ask a person who signed up to check one or more boxes of medical conditions that make them eligible.
“This is not about policing this,” said Wisconsin Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk. “It is about creating access to a vaccination system for people who have these conditions, in the easiest way possible.”
Where can I take my picture?
Eligible 1C individuals will have a variety of options on March 29. Some health care providers may use the same system used for the population over 65, officials said, reaching out to people in their care based on their medical records that reflect eligible conditions.
The state will not determine that no condition within 1C comes before another, but it is allowing healthcare professionals to use factors such as age, number of illnesses and the severity of the condition to determine who is scheduled first.
Individuals will also have a choice of community vaccination sites, local pharmacies and local public health departments.
How long after March 29 can I have a chance?
The group includes about 2 million individuals or more, and authorities warn that it may be necessary to prioritize within each group based on an individual’s severity, age, number of conditions and whether they live in a community that has been disproportionately affected by the virus.
“Due to limited vaccine supply and with this next eligible group likely adding more than 2 million individuals in Wisconsin eligible for the vaccine, providers may need to prioritize those individuals in this population who are most at risk,” a press release from DHS declared.
If I was eligible for Phase 1A or 1B, will I lose priority when 1C opens?
No. People who fall into the first two categories who still need to get a vaccine on March 29 will still be able to get it and will still be prioritized before 1C, officials said.
Frontline health care, long-term care, police and firefighters, people over 65, educators, some essential workers and prisoners will remain ahead of 1C in priority when scheduling vaccines.
I do not fit into any of the groups for 1A, 1B or 1C. When will I become eligible?
Sometime in May under existing guidelines, but it is not yet clear when.
The state did not include additional groups of essential workers in the next round of eligibility, despite CDC recommendations, choosing to base eligibility on a wide range of other medical conditions. Those who do not fit into these categories and do not fit into another group will wait until May, when the state plans to open eligibility to the general public.
There is no set date for this yet, although President Joe Biden on Thursday night has called on all states to open eligibility for everyone from May 1. Early Thursday, state health officials said the factors influencing this schedule include the number of doses arriving in Wisconsin each week from the federal government, as well as the percentage of people in the existing eligibility groups who completed the vaccination. Generally, Willems Van Dijk said, they are waiting until the existing groups are at least 50% vaccinated before opening a new group.
Why were other essential workers not included in this new round?
According to Willems Van Dijk, the large number of people (more than 2 million) qualified under the conditions announced for Phase 1C provided a group large enough to work and represented the advice of CDC and DHS medical advisers.
Many essential workers unskilled for their work would qualify under health condition metrics, she said at a news conference on Thursday.
“It is based on the best evidence we have about what medical conditions make someone more vulnerable to serious illness or death,” said Willems Van Dijk. “If you are fortunate not to have one of these conditions, you will be fortunate to be included in May.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that both people with underlying medical conditions and other groups of essential workers, such as manufacturers, restaurant workers, the media and others, be included in Phase 1C.
What are the medical conditions that qualify me to receive the vaccine from 29 March?
- Asthma (moderate to severe)
- Cancer
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Down’s syndrome
- Heart problems such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) due to solid organ transplant, blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids or use of other drugs to weaken the immune system
- Liver disease
- Neurological conditions, such as dementia
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] 30-39 kg / m2)
- Excess weight (BMI 25-29 kg / m2)
- Pregnancy
- Pulmonary fibrosis (with damaged or scarred lung tissue)
- Severe obesity (BMI 40 kg / m2 or more)
- Sickle cell anemia
- Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
- Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
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