Should smokers be in the first priority group for the COVID vaccine?

[Mithrandir]

I say no way to the smokers jumping the line....and i say this because the long-term effects of COVID19 are not known.

Sure a healthy 30 year old who get COVID might have less of a risk of dying than a smoker, but how about long term effects? Maybe 3 years from now (or however long) that 30 year old has a potentially deadly health issue directly related to having COVID?

So people who know the risks of smoking and don't give a damn get to jump the line over people who actually take care of their bodies? No fucking way!

[Sour Masher]

Save lives first. Pass moral judgment on others later (or, crazy idea, not at all).

Is there evidence that non-first responder smokers are more at risk for Covid than non-smoking first-responders? It seems to me that those in professions that require frequent contact with people with Covid are most at risk and should be our first priority. A smoker should get it before I do, but I'd feel differently if I was in constant contact with sick people and was behind a stay at home smoker in line.

If the poll questions was should smokers get priority over people like me, I'd have answered yes. I am surprised by the number of voters think they should have priority over those in at risk professions. I guess it comes down for those voters of mortality rate if they get COVID vs how likely they are to get it. I favor limiting the number of infected, and prioritizing essential workers makes sense to me.

[Ken]

Is it that smokers are more at risk to get it or more at risk to die IF they get it?

It's that they die

[Bene Futuis]

Save lives first. Pass moral judgment on others later (or, crazy idea, not at all).

[Gregg]

Interesting question

I am a teacher that has been teaching from my class in New Jersey every day - 1/3 in class - 1/3 zoom - 1/3 remote - it is very challenging
and extremely NOT safe.
We are one of the very very few districts in the schools in the county right now - The superintendent disagrees with the town council, the teachers, the union, the health and safety office, and everyone else about the safety so we go in

I cannot yet get a vaccine for teachers but smokers already can. I am scheduled to get one next week because of serious health issues

One good thing about getting smokers vaccinated is that they already have an increased chance to get covid THEN pass it along to me - so if they are vaccinated then there is less chance to infect others

Is it that smokers are more at risk to get it or more at risk to die IF they get it?

[Sour Masher]

Interesting question

I am a teacher that has been teaching from my class in New Jersey every day - 1/3 in class - 1/3 zoom - 1/3 remote - it is very challenging
and extremely NOT safe.
We are one of the very very few districts in the schools in the county right now - The superintendent disagrees with the town council, the teachers, the union, the health and safety office, and everyone else about the safety so we go in

I cannot yet get a vaccine for teachers but smokers already can. I am scheduled to get one next week because of serious health issues

One good thing about getting smokers vaccinated is that they already have an increased chance to get covid THEN pass it along to me - so if they are vaccinated then there is less chance to infect others

I had not thought of your last point. That is compelling, and reinforces smokers being next in line AFTER teachers like you in the classroom and other frontline workers, but I still say you get yours first. I still would not put them in the first priority group, but the next one.

[Sour Masher]

What would stop someone from saying they smoke when they don't to get a faster vaccine? I'm for prioritizing obvious risk factors like exposure of frontline workers and age before rewarding those who made poor lifestyle choices with a cut in line. Of course, there will be overlap there, as many front line workers smoke, but those folks are essential workers and they should all be a priority. The way the role out is going, we are a good ways off from being able to prioritize risky life style choices, as front line workers and the elderly are still having trouble getting it.

If and when those folks get theirs, I'd have no problem with a smoker my age getting it before me, but I am able to manage my risk unlike those exposed on the daily.

[swampdragon]

Interesting question

I am a teacher that has been teaching from my class in New Jersey every day - 1/3 in class - 1/3 zoom - 1/3 remote - it is very challenging
and extremely NOT safe.
We are one of the very very few districts in the schools in the county right now - The superintendent disagrees with the town council, the teachers, the union, the health and safety office, and everyone else about the safety so we go in

I cannot yet get a vaccine for teachers but smokers already can. I am scheduled to get one next week because of serious health issues

One good thing about getting smokers vaccinated is that they already have an increased chance to get covid THEN pass it along to me - so if they are vaccinated then there is less chance to infect others

[In the Corn]

Lots of ethical questions about who is a priority, and you can make a case for a lot of groups, as well as, cases against a lot of groups.

While priority #1 has to be frontline medical/hospital workers, after that you can make the case a lot of ways.

I think the idea of vaccinating seniors in long-term care facilities is essentially a humanitarian act, as these folks have been isolated so long that they need/deserve to be #2.

You can make the case that smokers because of the high-risk should be early in the line, as it will lessen the strain on hospitals. The same can be said for obese people.

Is the smoker/obese person more important to vaccinate than the 30 year old who works in the frontline grocery store? Again, we can make cases for either. The most important thing is for people to make it a priority to get the vaccine when they are able, and obviously, we have enough supply to cover people.

[umjewman]

I'm not sure what the right answer is but, to be safe, I've started smoking a pack a day. My wife thinks I smell, but I do have a vaccine appointment in two weeks!

[Gregg]

I understand the sentiment about not pushing *yourself* to the front of the line, that fits what I would expect from you.

But you really didn't address the question about others. Obviously the reason for smokers and overweight individuals to be prioritized is because they are at higher risk. So by deprioritizing them, we are increasing our death count. It's a bit of a trolley problem, but I'm surprised your answer is not to limit the amount of deaths.

There is so much that is unknown about why some die and others do not.

I do want to limit the death count. But first order of business is to limit the death count to those that help us survive. If there was enough vaccine to go around to those that want it we would not have to prioritize. There is not.

Prisons are a hot bed of the virus. Should they get the vaccine? Absolutely. Before any practicing doctor or nurse? No. Not a fun thing to write. If I had to vote, pretty easy.

I am not penalizing smokers, I just do not think it by itself should move them to the head of the line.

Should reformed smokers get priority over those still smoking?

[Ken]

I think XL would be the top...ok just kidding.

Pre covid I was smoking about 3 cigars a week and I am 20 lbs overweight. This should not move me up to the front of the line. I need to isolate and wait. There will be enough to go around soon enough. The true essential workers need to go first. Doctors, nurses, teachers, clergy, policemen, firemen, Grocery store workers and true supply chain well before me.

I know I have great value to my family and circle of influence. In the scope of society I need to wait. Not too long as I have some influence in the manufacturing sector that is very essential. Most of what I do can be done (not as well) from home.

I understand the sentiment about not pushing *yourself* to the front of the line, that fits what I would expect from you.

But you really didn't address the question about others. Obviously the reason for smokers and overweight individuals to be prioritized is because they are at higher risk. So by deprioritizing them, we are increasing our death count. It's a bit of a trolley problem, but I'm surprised your answer is not to limit the amount of deaths.

[chancellor]

This is wrong!

It's a constant battle. My wife got in as I noted earlier just before Wisconsin's governor changed the rules and put 65+ year olds in front of teachers going back or slated to go back to the classroom. Members of our school board who favor kids going back after teachers are vaccinated have been berated during open forum, in public, and had dead animals dropped on their property. School board member social media pages are an embarassment to those posting.

Fortunately, our school board has stuck to their position - no teachers back until three weeks after the first set of vaccinations. Other districts aren't as lucky.

[Gregg]

This surprises me.

So if you know that not putting smokers/overweight people in the first group you have... X more deaths, what size would X need to be for you to reconsider?

I think XL would be the top...ok just kidding.

Pre covid I was smoking about 3 cigars a week and I am 20 lbs overweight. This should not move me up to the front of the line. I need to isolate and wait. There will be enough to go around soon enough. The true essential workers need to go first. Doctors, nurses, teachers, clergy, policemen, firemen, Grocery store workers and true supply chain well before me.

I know I have great value to my family and circle of influence. In the scope of society I need to wait. Not too long as I have some influence in the manufacturing sector that is very essential. Most of what I do can be done (not as well) from home.

[Gregg]

My wife is a teacher, she has to report to school, and she cannot get a vaccination yet. F@#$ this.

This is wrong!