New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday defended eligibility requirements for the state’s coronavirus vaccine, telling CNBC that priority should be given to people with pre-existing medical conditions, including smokers.
In an interview with “Squawk Box,” Murphy explained that the state is focusing on using the supply of vaccines available in two different groups. The first, he said, are those that are needed “to help defeat the virus,” such as health workers and first aid. The second are individuals who are at higher risk of serious illness or death if they contract Covid, he said.
“This is not speculation. It is based on data, on facts. Who has become ill? Who has been hospitalized? Who have we lost?” Murphy said.
Within the second group are New Jersey residents over the age of 65, as well as those aged 16 to 64 who have an adequate medical condition, which includes cancer, chronic kidney disease, various heart diseases, and smoking.
New Jersey teachers are not yet eligible as a whole group, but Murphy is increasingly facing pressure for educators and school district employees to qualify for the vaccine. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
“It’s a false choice to compare smokers to someone else,” Murphy told CNBC. “Anyone under the age of 65 who is most vulnerable, even if they are an essential worker, an educator, is eligible right now.”
The list of New Jersey medical conditions that make someone eligible for the vaccine closely follows the list of conditions at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that increase the risk of developing severe cases of Covid.
Teachers as a group are “in the circle of the deck,” Murphy said, using the baseball phrase to describe being next to the bat. “I hope we get to the educators sooner rather than later.”
Some states, such as Maryland, Illinois and Arizona, have expanded teacher eligibility, according to EdWeek, a news organization that covers K-12 education.
New Jersey has administered approximately 1.1 million doses of vaccine, as of Tuesday afternoon, according to data collected by the CDC. The U.S. as a whole has administered 43.2 million doses, according to CDC data.
While Murphy expressed optimism about the Biden administration’s vaccination efforts, he said New Jersey continues to see more demand for shots than currently has the doses available.
“You have a huge imbalance between supply and demand,” he said. But he added: “The Biden team is doing an extraordinary job and I’m sure they will deliver the supply. It won’t happen overnight, but we will get it.”