The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added several medical conditions to a list of those that place patients at high risk for a more severe case of COVID-19.
Conditions now categorized as “high risk” include: moderate to severe asthma, types 1 and 2 diabetes, liver disease, HIV infection, stroke, and dementia. Those conditions previously had been categorized as “might be” at risk.
Substance use disorders, which previously were not listed, also are now considered high risk, CDC said.
Patients with severe COVID-19 might require hospitalization, intensive care, and a ventilator to help breathe, CDC said. Severe cases of COVID-19 also could prove fatal.
In addition, adults 65 and older as well as populations with long-standing systemic health and social inequities – including racial and ethnic minority groups – are also at risk of severe COVID-19 cases, CDC said.
Physicians are encouraged to talk to patients who are at high risk to take steps to prevent contracting the illness.
The Texas Medical Association and other health officials continue to stress the importance of proven, safe, and science-based methods to stop the spread of COVID-19: wearing masks, practicing hand hygiene, social distancing, and receiving a vaccine if eligible.
As of late March, all Texans ages 16 and older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Last Updated On
April 07, 2021
Originally Published On
April 07, 2021