Smokers In Indiana Can Obtain COVID Vaccine Before Teachers Due to Change in State Guidelines - Newsweek

Indiana state health officials are permitting smokers on COVID-19 vaccine waitlists over teachers, angering school professionals.

"According to the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], smokers and people suffering severe obesity are at higher risk of severe illness or death and therefore can be considered for standby list," a spokesperson for the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) said in an email to WISH-TV in response to the move.

This impacted a number of Indiana teachers, who had been signing up for standby lists to receive unused vaccines and avoid waste, WFYI reported.

Because teachers are not officially eligible for vaccines in Indiana, a number of teachers were recently removed from the standby lists.

The ISDH said these teachers were moved down the list because their professional category is not officially considered a state priority group, therefore they're ineligible to receive shots.

Now that smokers have received priority status ahead of them on standby lists, teachers are even more upset, especially as schools look to reopen as soon as possible.