Update: Be Alert for New Conditions Added to the COVID-19 ‘High-Risk’ List

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added several new chronic conditions to the list of those thought to predispose people with COVID-19 to severe illness. Several—type 1 diabetes, moderate-to-severe asthma, liver disease, dementia or other neurological conditions, stroke/cerebrovascular disease, HIV infection, cystic fibrosis, and overweight—were previously considered those that “might” put patients at higher risk. Substance use disorders, which hadn’t been considered to put people at higher risk at all, are now also considered high risk for severe disease. In terms of vaccination priorities, the CDC classifies the broadened list as group 1c. Group 1a still includes frontline essential workers and those in long-term care facilities; group 1b includes people aged 65-74 years, other essential workers, and people aged 16-64 with underlying conditions that increase the risk of serious, life-threatening complications from COVID-19. Bear in mind that these are federal guidelines; states have instituted their own groupings to determine eligibility to receive the vaccine.