Most Texans Who Want COVID-19 Vaccine May Already Be Eligible
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - While vaccinations officially open to even more Texans next week, most people who want a shot may already be eligible.
While age, profession, health and socioeconomic status have been given priority by the state so far, qualifying conditions for everyone over 16 are broad.
Common conditions including asthma, high blood pressure and being overweight or obese are all accepted as putting someone at an increased risk of severe illness.
A report last fall from Trust for America's Health showed 34% of Texans would fall into the obese category.
That more than doubles to 70%, when categorizing people as overweight. A Body Mass Index of 25 or more would qualify as overweight.
Registration forms administered by counties and participating pharmacies now receiving vaccine allocations, often don't require a registrant to specify what their qualifying condition is, only that they have one.
In an interview last month with CBS 11, two county public health directors said they are not double-checking medical conditions.
They were asking registrants to show employer identification if they qualified as part of a professional group like healthcare or education.
Counties have been encouraging people to sign up even if they don't think they qualify, anticipating an increased supply in the coming weeks.
