A BMI of 25 or more makes adults eligible for the vaccine on March 29, but it could be a relatively healthy person

MADISON, Wisconsin. – Of the 20 conditions that will make a person in the next large group eligible for a vaccine in Wisconsin, there is one that is getting a lot of attention: body mass index.

Anyone 16 and over with a BMI of 25 or over will become eligible on March 29. Approximately 2 million Wisconsinites will then become eligible, including people with conditions such as asthma, cancer, and Down syndrome.

Studies show that being overweight contributes to a worse response to the coronavirus. The CDC says obesity can triple the risk of hospitalization and as your BMI increases, your risk of death from COVID also increases.

But just as there are different degrees of asthma or diabetes, there are different degrees of overweight. A person with a BMI of 25 can appear slim and healthy.

“The Green Bay Packers are probably all eligible in Group 1C,” said Dr. Matt Anderson of UW Health. “Because muscle mass obviously contributes to it. You can have a high BMI for people who may not have the same levels of risk. “

The fact that a young, muscular athlete becomes eligible on the same day as cancer patients and others with serious health problems leaves it up to vaccinators to prioritize who gets vaccinated first.

DHS gave some ideas on how pharmacies, public health services and health systems can do this.

“For example, prioritizing people with two or three high-risk conditions. Or maybe start with younger adults who are between 50 and 64 with a high risk condition and then move on to the younger age group, ”said Mo Kharbat, vice president of pharmacy services at SSM. Health Wisconsin.

Kharbat said SSM Health has yet to decide how it will prioritize the next group. Neither does UW Health.

But Dr Anderson said the process will likely include patients who need to identify themselves as eligible.

“It is extremely difficult to analyze who these people are. How do we identify them? And we’re going to depend on them to help us identify who they are. Because if we try to take all of this responsibility from ourselves, we’re going to miss people, ”Anderson said.

He said it had to be decided who would get a photo before which was going to be difficult, gray and messy.

“It won’t be perfect, it won’t be. And it is really difficult. How do you tell the difference between someone with cancer and someone who is immunocompromised for condition 1, 2 or 3? How do you do this in relation to someone who has COPD? Or chronic heart failure? There will be a huge number of people who will suffer from these conditions, ”said Anderson.

We may see someone who is young, a bit overweight, but otherwise relatively healthy, get vaccinated before someone who has severe and chronic illness.

Anderson encourages young and healthy people to be patient and allow those who are at higher risk to get the vaccine first.

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