The state’s new COVID-19 eligibility rules open locks for people to seek vaccination

Almost three-quarters of adults are considered overweight or obese under federal guidelines Adopted by the state late last weekIncludes people who are 5 feet 10 inches and weigh over 174 pounds.

This explains why Dave Powers, a 31-year-old web developer living in Summerville, was able to schedule next week based on a new rule with a body mass index (BMI) of 25.1. For powers of about 5 feet and 10 inches, this is equivalent to 175 pounds.

“It was a nice surprise to be able to qualify a few weeks earlier than I expected,” said, “whether something puts him in line faster each time the state qualification list is updated.” Powers, who is scrutinizing to confirm.

According to state statistics, the state is steadily increasing its new population group for COVID vaccine as the pace of vaccination increases. So far, more than one-third of adults in Massachusetts have been vaccinated at least once, and 21.6% have been fully vaccinated.

Under the criteria that came into effect on Monday, people over the age of 55 and people over the age of 16 with one eligible health condition can make reservations. Last Friday, the state expanded its list of eligible health conditions to include type 1 diabetes, HIV, and substance use disorders, aligning the state with federal recommendations.

According to the state’s COVID-19 Response Command Center, the new rules will expand the pool of people who could be shot by more than a million people. However, based on the proportion of overweight or obese people, that number can well exceed one million.

According to state officials, the biggest problem is that there is enough vaccine dose to inoculate everyone.

“The Federation has updated the list of medical conditions in line with the CDC’s updated list and definitions, following the CDC’s guidance,” the statement said. “By Patriot’s Day, all residents over the age of 16 are eligible for the vaccine earlier than the Biden Harris administration’s directive on May 1, but the federal government will distribute the vaccine to the state. It can move as fast as it does. The federal government continues to urge the federal government to increase the state’s allocation to Massachusetts. “

According to the statement, Patriot’s Day on April 19 will target the general public over the age of 16 and will add about 1.73 million people.

However, the change in eligibility on Monday surprised many because he learned that he could get a shot now instead of waiting for April 19th.

New weight standards and other health conditions that qualify former smokers will open the door to a wider population, doctors said.State uses CDC guidelines Former smoker As an adult who smoked at least 100 cigarettes in his lifetime but quit smoking. Nationally, 21% of adults are ex-smokers, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, but may face ongoing health risks from the past.

Dr. Ali S. Raja, Executive Vice President of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, said:

Raja has a previous history of smoking-even a few packs- Due to the high risk of complications from COVID-19, the CDC and Massachusetts use that standard.

“It’s a very conservative cutoff,” he said. “And I think that’s great. It’s skyrocketing, so include as many people as you can. [of infections] I really want to see vaccinations for young people as well. “

The new weight standard has intensified the already supercharged competition for signing up for vaccines, where many young digital savvy people, including Powers, jumped on web-intensive sites and Twitter accounts on Monday to make it available. I will continue to search for and spit out web links to.

“I was able to register for next week’s appointment at Tufts,” he said. “I’ll see if something comes out sooner, but I’m glad I put something in my pocket.”

The new weight rules have also rekindled the long-running debate about how accurate they are. Body mass index predicts increased health risk. The state follows the CDC guidelines. BMI benchmark To determine who is overweight or obese. The overweight CDC benchmark has a BMI of 25 to 30. BMI greater than 30 is considered obese and the CDC says it contains about 43 percent of Americans.

“For athletes, BMI is a rough measure of body fat,” said Dr. Caroline Apobian, co-director of weight management and wellness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. For example, some muscular athletes may have a BMI that ranks overweight or obese, even if they are in good health.

Apovian also said that BMI is not properly coordinated for different racial and ethnic minority groups and what is the risk of other weight-related health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. Also mentioned.

For example, Apobian said, Blacks may be at higher risk of diabetes with a lower BMI.

“They have a higher prevalence of diabetes than whites and Hispanics and control their BMI,” she said.

However, Apobian believes that the addition of the overweight BMI category to the state list has a “silver lining.”

“This is good because we are becoming more aware of weight and BMI, and how it leads to illness, not just to shots,” she said. It was.

Globe staff Anissa Gardizy and Steve Annear contributed to this report.

Keirazar can be reached at [email protected] Follow her on Twitter @GlobeKayLazar..