District residents with certain chronic medical conditions, including those who are overweight, reportedly will be given priority for the coronavirus vaccine.
People with a body mass index over 25, as well as locals who are pregnant, have cancer or smoke, are among those who will be offered the vaccine as early as February before various essential workers and the general population, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The city’s decision reportedly stems from two lists about the virus-related risks associated with chronic medical conditions created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first list includes conditions scientifically linked to increased risk of severe illness from the virus, while the other includes conditions that “might” be at higher risk of severe illness.
The CDC website states that “[h]aving obesity may triple the risk of hospitalization due to a COVID-19 infection.”
D.C. officials said Thursday that the District has received 62,000 total doses, about 66% (41,053) of which have been administered.
Health department data as of Friday show 34,905 total cases have been confirmed in the city, as well as 867 deaths. The District has a population of more than 692,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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