01-13-2021, 10:01 AM
Short answer: no, hypertension doesn't qualify you for an earlier vaccine.
Long answer: Â I am presuming a bit here. Â The actual wording used (by the CDC) isn't clear. Â I have written to the California committee to try to clarify the language, but population numbers indicate one of the meanings.
 The CDC reviewed a number of studies and broke the list of medical conditions into 2 groups. If you have a condition in one group, you "are at increased risk". If you have a condition in the other group, the evidence isn't as strong yet, so they say you "might be at increased risk".
Those in the first group include about 41% of the US population (110M of the 355M 18+). I think I recall that if you add in the 2nd group, it is something like 56% of the population (actually, I'd think it would be higher).
1st group: (counts toward getting a vaccine earlier)
Long answer: Â I am presuming a bit here. Â The actual wording used (by the CDC) isn't clear. Â I have written to the California committee to try to clarify the language, but population numbers indicate one of the meanings.
 The CDC reviewed a number of studies and broke the list of medical conditions into 2 groups. If you have a condition in one group, you "are at increased risk". If you have a condition in the other group, the evidence isn't as strong yet, so they say you "might be at increased risk".
Those in the first group include about 41% of the US population (110M of the 355M 18+). I think I recall that if you add in the 2nd group, it is something like 56% of the population (actually, I'd think it would be higher).
1st group: (counts toward getting a vaccine earlier)
- 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