When New Jersey’s expanded coronavirus vaccine eligibility rules took effect Thursday, those with asthma were not included.
This came as a surprise to some, since adults with asthma “might be at an increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19,” according to the federal Centers for Disease Control.
However, the state extended the eligibility rules only to those in higher-risk categories, including everyone 65 and older and those from ages 16 to 64 with any of about a dozen medical conditions, including cancer and kidney disease.
The expansion includes an estimated 2 million smokers, the largest and perhaps most controversial group of the 4.5 million state residents who became eligible for the vaccine on Thursday.
If your only pre-existing condition is asthma, which can result in wheezing, breathlessness and chest tightness, you’ll have to wait.
A spokesperson for the state health department said an online registration form asking applicants if they have asthma was developed prior to Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement, on Wednesday, of the expanded coronavirus eligibility rules and will be updated.
“Our goal is to save as many lives as possible and to promote vaccination among the highest risk groups,” said the spokesperson, Donna Leusner.
When Gov. Chris Christie checked himself into the hospital in October after testing positive for COVID-19, his asthma was cited as a possible cause for concern, but Christie also has grappled with obesity, which is among the high-risk factors cited by the CDC and included on New Jersey’s list.
A doctor who advises the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recently explained why asthma is not in the higher-risk category.
“I don’t want people with asthma to think they have to rush out and get it,” Dr. David R. Stukus, director of the Complex Asthma Clinic at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, said of the vaccine.
“That being said, asthma is a very chronic condition, and if you have other features that place you at high risk — based upon your age, other chronic health conditions that you may have, the work that you do, and things like that — that is probably going to come into play much more than just a diagnosis of asthma,” Stukus added in a video posted to the Arlington, Va.-based organization’s website last month.
There are an estimated 600,000 adults and 170,000 children in New Jersey with asthma, the state health department said. Asthma can be controlled with medicine and by avoiding the triggers that can cause an attack. It is more likely to affect Black and Hispanic people, urban residents, and those with a family history of asthma.
Other conditions included in the expanded coronavirus vaccine eligibility include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Down syndrome, heart conditions, including heart failure, coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy sickle cell disease and Type-2 diabetes.
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NJ Advance Media staff writer Karin Price Mueller contributed to this report.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.