11 more medical conditions qualify NJ residents for vaccine

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NEW JERSEY - New Jersey has updated its COVID vaccine eligibility list to include 11 more health conditions ranging from asthma to Cystic fibrosis.

In a press release from Gov. Phil Murphy's office issued earlier this week, the state announced it will allow "all individuals" ages 16-64 to receive the vaccine if they suffer from certain medical conditions that "increase the risk or might increase the risk of severe illness from the virus."

People with the following 11 conditions who "might be at increased risk" as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  are eligible:

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 (those with BMIs greater than 25 but less than 30; obese residents were already eligible). See the CDC’s BMI calculator here.

Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)

Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)

Type 1 diabetes

During a briefing on Monday, Gov. Murphy announced that the COVID vaccine would be available for new groups of people amounting to hundreds of thousands of workers and residents beginning March 15 and March 29.