CHARLOTTE, N.C. — You may have seen this headline in the news recently:
"NEW JERSEY IS PRIORITIZING CIGARETTE SMOKERS FOR THE COVID-19 VACCINES BECAUSE OF THEIR RISK OF SEVERE DISEASE." -Business Insider wrote.
Opinions on that decision flooded social media feeds nationwide. Here in the Carolinas, several viewers commented on the story.
So we're verifying what this means for us in the Carolinas. Will smokers have access to the COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the general public?
Our sources are the CDC, local pediatrician Dr. Ana Maria Temple, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 website and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
CDC
According to the CDC: "Adults of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19." Among their list of what conditions qualify for putting someone at an increased risk is smoking. See the list below.
DOCTOR WEIGHS IN
Our local medical expert, Dr. Ana Maria Temple confirms that smokers are at a higher risk of getting sicker than most if they contract this virus. Here's why she says, "when you're smoking, you're irritating the lower airways and COVID-19 has a love affair with our lower airways, and that's where it's causing a lot of the damage."
Makes sense, right? But what is perplexing people is where do you draw the line for what conditions qualify ahead of the general public to receive this vaccine? Here were some of the reactions we saw:
There's a lot of unanswered questions, but first, let's see what our state health departments have to say.
NORTH CAROLINA
WCNC Charlotte reached out NCDHHS twice in the last week and still has not received a response for comment on this story. However, it says on their website adults at high risk for exposure of increased risk of severe illness would be in group four:
"Anyone 16-64 with high-risk medical conditions that increase risk of severe disease from COVID-19 such as ... COPD" will qualify in group four, after frontline works and before the general public. So they list a condition you get from smoking, but they don't say smokers directly in their immediate list for what conditions may qualify in group 4.
SOUTH CAROLINA
In South Carolina, the DHEC responded to our question with this statement:
"The South Carolina Vaccine Advisory Committee continues to work on guidance for Phase 1c based on the federal guidance that is provided and will consider which conditions should be prioritized."
While that also doesn't directly answer our questions, we can verify that on their COVID-19 website it says that "people 16 or older with certain underlying health conditions LISTED BY THE CDC will be included in phase 1c," which again is after frontline workers and before the general public.
VERIFIED
So we can verify that if public health departments in the Carolinas continue to follow CDC protocol for vaccine distribution, smokers in the Carolinas will have access to the vaccines before the general public.
If you want something verified, email verify@wcnc.com or text the word VERIFY to 704-329-3600.