Indiana smokers gain access to COVID-19 vaccine waitlist
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Smokers, regardless of age, are now allowed to get on the vaccine waitlist; the state says they are following guidelines set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Indiana State Department of Health confirmed the allowance to I-Team 8 in an email Thursday.
“According to the CDC, smokers and people suffering severe obesity are at higher risk of severe illness or death and therefore can be considered for standby list,” a spokesperson for Indiana’s health department said in the email. “We follow the CDC’s recommendations.”
To get on a waitlist, you must contact a pharmacy that is administering vaccines. It is also up to counties on if they are going to follow CDC guidelines.
The decision to allow smokers on the vaccine wait list has angered some groups. Jennifer Smith-Margraf of the Indiana State Teachers Association says their members deserve frontline-worker status.
“We find it extremely frustrating that the Indiana State Department of Health continues to cherry pick from the CDC recommendations, when it very clearly states that educators should be getting vaccinated right now,” Smith-Margraf said.
A document outlining the changes to the vaccine waitlist was sent to News 8 earlier this week. The health department confirmed the document was from it on Thursday afternoon.
Ultimately, the decision to allow smokers on the vaccine wait list will come down to individual counties. Teachers have been trying to get on the same list for months.
“Our local members have been advocating at home with their own county health departments in order to get educators vaccinated and frankly what we hear back is county health departments really believe we should be getting vaccinated,” said Smith-Margraf.
Being a smoker doesn’t allow Hoosiers to schedule an appointment for the vaccine online, the state eligibility for the vaccine is still organized by age groups.
Indiana State Department of Health on Thursday reported 26 more COVID-19 deaths, for a total of 12,065.
Statement
“Age is the leading cause of COVID-related hospitalization and death in Indiana, and we encourage clinics to prioritize standby lists based on age, moving to the next expected age group if needed. Most vaccine clinics have long standby lists. We have shared the CDC’s list of other conditions that can put people at higher risk to help inform those standby lists if a clinic is struggling to avoid wasting doses.”
Indiana State Department of Health