Pennsylvania lets smokers get COVID-19 vaccine first

Pennsylvania is now allowing smokers to be on the front line for COVID-19 vaccinations alongside nurses, doctors and nursing home residents.

Smokers became eligible to receive the first doses in the state after the Pennsylvania Department of Health added people with “ high-risk medical conditions ” to the first phase of the vaccine rollout.

Smoking is one of the conditions considered to be high risk.

The state is currently still in its first phase of deployment, which includes health workers, people over 65 and those aged 16 to 64 with high-risk illnesses.

Other high risk conditions include cancer, chronic kidney disease, Down’s syndrome, heart disease, obesity, and pregnancy.

Under the changes, smokers are now eligible for the vaccine ahead of first responders, correctional officers, teachers, grocery store workers and transit workers.

So far, Pennsylvania has distributed 643,000 of its 1.3 million doses.

The state administered 21,000 first doses and 4,400 seconds on Thursday.

The state’s health department said smokers are now included because they are considered to be at higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they contract COVID-19.

“Pennsylvania has chosen to follow the CDC’s recommendations and include smoking among the list of medical conditions that put individuals at greater risk,” a spokesperson said.

To date, no large-scale studies have been conducted on how smokers are most affected by COVID.

Pennsylvania’s decision comes a week after New Jersey also changed its rules to include smokers.

It is not yet clear how they prove whether someone is a smoker or not if they show up for the vaccine.

Dr Amesh Adalja, infectious disease specialist and intensive care doctor at PIttsburgh, said smoking was associated with increased severity of the virus and could lead to hospitalizations.

“When people look at a vaccine allocation decision, it’s really motivated by what’s going to keep people out of the hospital,” Dr Adalja told WTAE-4.