Dear Prudence,
When the vaccine rollout started, my state opened a site where you could “pre-register” for a shot. Qualifying pre-existing conditions included cancer, sickle-cell anemia, Down syndrome, and “obese and overweight BMI.” They were all lumped together in a single yes-or-no question. My BMI is in the overweight range, and several months ago would have been in the obese range. While I do want to lose weight, I also have a very large chest, which makes my weight higher than most women of my height and other dimensions. I felt a little uncomfortable selecting yes, but figured this was only a first step and eventually down the line, I’d be asked which condition on the list I actually had.
A month later, I received an email telling me I was now eligible. Two days later I was able to get an appointment. I’m feeling very guilty. I’m lucky enough to be able to work from home. I know there are other people with serious health conditions who can’t work from home, and still others who are eligible but struggling to find appointments (I didn’t do anything special outside of logging on to the website early in the morning). To make matters more complicated, while the state’s site still lists “overweight BMI” as a qualifying condition, I only see “obesity” listed elsewhere. I called our state’s vaccine hotline to clarify whether I should really have an appointment. The very well-meaning person told me if I got an email saying I’m eligible, then I’m eligible. I’m convinced she didn’t understand my question. Is it wrong of me to take this appointment when I know there are others who need it more than me? I am constantly cycling between being overwhelmed with guilt and feeling OK with this because I didn’t do anything wrong, and at the end of the day, they need to put shots in arms.
—Vaccine Conundrum