Why Wisconsin is prioritizing sure medical situations like weight problems, most cancers and diabetes for the vaccine

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – Governor Tony Evers announced on Friday March 12th that all adults in Wisconsin will be eligible for the vaccine by May 1st. People with certain medical conditions will be eligible even earlier.

CBS 58 takes a closer look at why certain conditions are on the list.

Two million people in Wisconsin will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on March 29th. The next priority group includes people aged 16 and over with more than a dozen conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, pregnancy, and cancer.

Barbara Poepping thinks it is a “blessing” to be an 8-year-old pancreatic cancer survivor.

“I have a sister who died from it and two first cousins ​​so this is a family affair,” said Poepping, who lives in Greendale.

She wants to stay healthy, so she believes it’s important to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

“If my system is a little immunocompromised, it’s going to give it a little boost, turn it on and make it work better, and I think that’s a bonus,” Poepping said.

Cancer is currently increasing the risk of developing serious illness from COVID-19. It is currently unknown whether a history of cancer increases a person’s risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The more of these risk factors you capture as a person, the higher your risk,” said Dr. Jeff Pothof, UW Health’s chief quality officer.

Data from the Wisconsin Department of Health shows that 67 percent of adults in Wisconsin are overweight or obese.

“It makes sense to take some level of obesity into account when thinking about who to vaccinate, as it’s clear that people with obesity don’t do as well when they get COVID-19,” Pothof said.

Pothof said the higher a person’s body mass index, the higher the risk. A BMI of 25 kg / m2 or higher qualifies someone for the vaccine if they are at least 16 years old. Calculate your BMI here.

“I think if people actually did calculate their BMI they would be a little surprised that they could fall into the overweight or obesity category if they didn’t really think about themselves (and) their friends didn’t consider them obese,” said Pothof.

In November, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office analyzed COVID-19 deaths in Milwaukee County and found that diabetes and high blood pressure were the most common known comorbidities reported in COVID-19 deaths.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 40 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States are among people with diabetes.

The full list, which is eligible on March 29, includes people aged 16 and over with the following medical conditions:

  • Asthma (moderate to severe)
  • cancer
  • Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Down syndrom
  • Heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
  • Hypertension or high blood pressure
  • Immunocompromised condition (weakened immune system) from organ transplantation, blood or bone marrow transplantation, immunodeficiency, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other medicines to weaken the immune system
  • Liver disease
  • Neurological diseases such as dementia
  • Obesity (Body Mass Index [BMI] from 30-39 kg / m2)
  • Overweight (BMI from 25-29 kg / m2)
  • pregnancy
  • Pulmonary fibrosis (with damaged or scarred lung tissue)
  • Severe obesity (BMI 40 kg / m2 or more)
  • Sickle cell anemia
  • Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
  • Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)