Covid-19 vaccinations for people with underlying health conditions vary by state

CNN — When AJ McCulloch received a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, she said a wave of emotions overcame her – but the strongest was relief. The state of Colorado, where McCulloch lives, has not started vaccinating people with certain comorbidities or underlying health conditions, such as cancer, heart conditions or diabetes. “That’s part of the problem right now – is that states’ rules vary so greatly, and at the end of the day, people with comorbidities, they deserve to receive the vaccine just as much as other people.” Where people with comorbidities are eligible People with certain comorbidities and underlying conditions currently are eligible to sign up for Covid-19 vaccinations in nearly a dozen states: New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Mexico, Virginia, Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska and Montana, according to a CNN analysis of public health department websites. “As the state’s effort to vaccinate health care workers nears completion this week, we are now shifting those doses to prioritize those New Yorkers with comorbidities and pre-existing conditions - a group which has felt the brunt of COVID’s destructiveness first-hand,” New York Gov. JB Pritzker said in a news release, “As quickly as we receive enough vaccine supply, we need to waste no time in protecting a broader section of our most vulnerable population.” ‘Some … are going to be on the honor system’ But how individuals confirm their underlying conditions is different from place to place.