San Francisco’s COVID-19 vaccine eligibility rules for residents with high-risk medical conditions, which went into effect Monday, are broader than the requirements the state has announced.
The city widened the criteria for qualifying medical conditions like cancer, diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease to include more people. And any San Franciscan who is in the body mass index range for obesity, defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as 30 or higher, can get a shot. The state only allows vaccinations for those with a BMI of at least 40.
Additionally, San Francisco expanded the list of qualifying conditions to people with HIV and severe mental health and substance use disorders. Anyone who identifies as deaf or disabled can also get a shot.
From the San Francisco Department of Public Health statement Friday:
Recognizing that defining eligibility based on specific qualifying health conditions may exclude individuals who are not currently receiving medical care or may create burdensome documentation requirements that would impact under-resourced clinics and communities, San Francisco is adopting eligibility criteria that expand on the California Department of Public Health’s listed conditions and ensure low-barrier access to vaccines. Whereas the State more narrowly defines qualifying conditions, San Francisco will broaden the categories for cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic pulmonary disease, obesity, and diabetes. Additionally, San Francisco will augment the conditions under the immunocompromised category, so that people living with HIV are included. Other eligible underlying health conditions include Down syndrome, pregnancy, and sickle cell disease.
Roughly 10% of San Francisco’s population identifies as Deaf or disabled, and in order to better serve this diverse population, the City will expand the State’s category for disabilities to include developmental, medical, physical, sensory, or behavioral health disabilities, including severe mental health and/or substance use disorders. To ensure low-barrier access to vaccines, San Francisco will not require vaccination sites that do not have access to patients’ medical records to require proof of diagnosis and/or disability. Instead, patients may be asked to provide a self-attestation of their qualifying condition."
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services Agency secretary, told reporters in a press call Friday the state directed counties not to modify eligibility guidelines.
“We worked hard with a number of individuals representing counties to get the list narrowed to a point where we feel like we're focused on the most vulnerable first,” Ghaly said. “And our hope and direction is that the counties don't modify that further.”
The CDC lists smoking as one of the health conditions that increases risk of severe illness from COVID-19, but neither San Francisco nor the state made it an eligible condition to receive the vaccine.
“Many individuals who smoke also do have some underlying conditions,” Ghaly said. “Some smokers will be captured by the other conditions on the list, but [smoking] alone is not going to be one of the qualifying conditions.”