Pennsylvania Moves Smokers To Vaccine Priority List

Pittsburgh’s CBS News affiliate reports:

Smokers are now among a new group of Pennsylvanians at the front of the line to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Pennsylvania Department of Health includes smoking on its list of qualifying conditions for those a part of Priority Group 1A.

The department said in part: “Pennsylvania has chosen to follow the CDC’s recommendations and include smoking among the list of medical conditions putting individuals at greater risk.”

Officials point to public health experts who agree that smoking is associated with the increased severity of disease and death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Pennsylvania adopts new CDC guidelines putting smokers in Group 1A to get COVID-19 vaccine https://t.co/iy0oUYJJkR

— WTAE-TV Pittsburgh (@WTAE) January 22, 2021