Smokers Before Teachers? NJ Defends COVID Vaccine Priorities

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy defended New Jersey's COVID vaccine priority list on Friday after lawmakers and others ripped it for prioritizing smokers over teachers.

Speaking at his COVID-19 briefing on Friday, Murphy said he needed to push back on the narrative that was developed that smokers were chosen over teachers.

"This is cheap shot for the sake of a headline," Murphy said. "Our first priority must be to vaccinate those at higher risk. We cannot lose sight that this is a respiratory virus and smoking puts someone at a higher risk of a more severe case."

Murphy also noted that the list was established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was made to protect public health as a whole.

"Attacking folks who may be addicted might be politically expedient but this is a medical fact and not a political want," Murphy said. "We need to protect our hospitals from a patient surge."

On Thursday, Murphy opened up the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to more residents of the Garden State. Read more: NJ Issues New COVID Vaccine Priority List; Teachers 'On Deck'

But while it is purported to help inoculate those who are high risk, it includes smokers but not teachers, and that has sparked criticism.

“I am appalled that the Murphy administration would prioritize people who make the life choice to smoke cigarettes to receive the vaccine before our teachers and daycare employees on the front lines every day,” Morris County Assemblyman Brian Bergen said.

A former smoker himself who quit 16 years ago, Bergen questioned the Murphy administration’s decision to leave off 116,000 public school teachers from the newly announced list of those eligible for the vaccine while including smokers.

“I know how hard it is to quit and how serious the health effects of smoking can be,” said Bergen. “With that said, it is a personal choice to smoke and people should not get ahead in line for a vaccine because they chose a lifestyle that puts them at a higher risk.”

Bergen's voice wasn't the only one crying foul. Across social media, teachers, social workers and others waiting for the vaccine were quick to criticize the move.

Murphy said that New Jersey is readying to vaccinate more groups and will not be caught "flat-footed" with more centers opening every day. Murphy said the CDC guidance is backed up by numerous medical experts and cautioned residents not fall down a rabbit hole of breaking people down in categories of Job A versus Job B and who is more politically favorable to vaccinate.

"The correct comparison is: Are you more vulnerable to a severe case of this virus or are you not more vulnerable?" he said.

But this issue, along with many others, will be solved when vaccine supply is increased, Murphy said.

"What we need to end this divisive and unproductive debate is an increase in our vaccine supply. For that, we need a federal administration that will unleash the process to meet demand.," he said.

A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Health told Patch that the medical conditions chosen were chosen because they have an increased risk of severe illness from the virus as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As part of the Thursday additions, New Jersey began inoculations for seniors over the age of 65 and others with medical conditions and those between the ages of 16 and 64 with medical conditions as defined by the CDC. Patch reached out to the CDC for clarification as to why they are on a list that includes:

• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD
• Down syndrome
• Heart conditions
• Obesity
• Sickle cell anemia
• Type 2 diabetes
• Individuals who are pregnant
• Those in an immunocompromised state and a weakened immune system because of issues such as an organ transplant

The Honor System

The expansion covers at least 3 million additional people, officials said. Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli noted that the number of smokers, which is about 2 million, "skew"' the numbers.

But what also might skew the numbers is dishonesty.

As the current vaccination site count continues to grow and more slots are opening for registration the "honor system: for registering is still in place. One registration site for one of the six vaccine "mega centers" has a list of all the new health conditions and a yes or no as to whether you have them. Conditions like cancer, pregnancy, obesity are all lumped into one question. And officials said that there will be no proof needed before receiving the vaccine.

"No documentation of the medical condition is required," a Department of Health spokesperson said.

According to Murphy, as his team gets in sync with the incoming Biden administration said the second booster shot of the vaccine will not need to be held in reserve as they have "some amount of high conviction" that they'll have second dose manufacturing in place.

"We were seeing the appetite for pods to open up further to access a broader community for vaccinations," Murphy said. "We are in the 'if-you-build-it-they-will-come' mode and the 'they' are vaccine dosages."

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