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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Governor Spencer Cox has announced that Utahns aged 16 and older with certain underlying health conditions are now eligible to receive the vaccine.
The date was previously set for March 1.
The governor also announced that all those eligible to receive the vaccine are no longer required to wait for an appointment in their home country. If a resident finds an appointment available outside their county, they can schedule those appointments.
Cox noted that these residents will also have to return to the same location for the second dose.
People with the following health conditions are now eligible for the vaccine:
- Asplenia, including splenectomy or dysfunction of the spleen
- Body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more (this is also called class III or severe obesity)
- Chronic heart disease (not hypertension), including chronic heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and severe valve or congenital disease
- Chronic liver disease, including chronic hepatitis B or C, alcohol-related liver disease, primary biliary cirrhosis or primary sclerosing cholangitis or hemochromatosis
- Cancer diagnosed within the last 5 years and started in the blood, bone marrow or cells of the immune system. This type of cancer is called hematologic cancer (such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma).
- Cancer diagnosed within the past year that has not started in the blood or bone marrow. This type of cancer is called non-hematologic cancer (excluding basal and squamous cell cancer diagnoses).
- Immunocompromised condition (weakened immune system) due to a blood, bone marrow or organ transplant; HIV; long-term use of corticosteroids; or other drugs that weaken the immune system
- Neurological disorders that impair respiratory function, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, epilepsy, motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Parkinson’s disease, progressive cerebellar disease and quadriplegia or hemiplegia
- Receive dialysis for severe kidney disease
- Receive immunosuppression treatment
- Sickle cell anemia
- Severe chronic respiratory disease (other than asthma), including severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, fibrosing lung disease, bronchiectasis or cystic fibrosis
- Solid organ transplant recipient
- Chronic kidney disease stage 4 or 5
- Stroke and dementia (Alzheimer’s disease, vascular or frontotemporal)
- Uncontrolled diabetes with an A1c of 9% or more
The state does not need a doctor’s note to schedule an appointment for a vaccine. Cox begged Utahns not to lie about the health conditions in order to get vaccinated before people at higher risk.
Appointments can be made through local health departments or some retail pharmacies.
“We anticipate that COVID-19 vaccines will be available from April for other age groups, people with underlying health conditions not listed above and those who live in collective premises and are over. at risk of contracting the virus that causes COVID-19, ”according to the Utah Department of Health. “The vaccines should be available to the general public in late spring or early summer.”
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