Criteria for COVID-19 vaccinations at Augusta Health will be expanded beginning Monday.
Criteria will be:
- Healthcare workers
- All age 65+
- Age 35-64 with underlying health conditions
- All essential workers
- Residency expands to Central Shenandoah Health District: Counties of Bath, Highland, Augusta Rockingham and Rockbridge and the cities of Buena Vista, Lexington, Staunton, Waynesboro and Harrisonburg.
The new scheduling process allows residents to schedule appointments directly from updated Vaccination Portal. Information about new clinics, the links and the criteria for each link, are posted daily.
Go to www.augustahealth.com/vaccine.
The Virginia Department of Health list of underlying health conditions that increase risk of severe illness from the COVID-19 virus includes:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Down Syndrome
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
- Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Smoking
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
- Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
- Liver disease
- Overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2, but < 30 kg/m2)
- Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
- Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Source: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html