SALT LAKE CITY – While all adults will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in a few weeks, experts say there is a reason why priority is given to those with underlying health conditions. A kidney transplant in Utah shares why he is so grateful he was able to receive the shot.
Holladay’s Greg Boss is considered high risk. He has been married to her love for 25 years. Just after returning from his honeymoon, Boss began to feel sick.
He says his life changed in 2001 when he underwent a kidney transplant at just 34 years old.
“On April 12, I remember the day. It snowed,” he said. “My wife’s little brother gave me one of his kidneys and we’re celebrating 20 years, next month.”
Kidney disease runs in his family. “We keep fighting this fight and we try to make it last as long as possible,” Boss said.
Boss is the father of three children and has largely enjoyed good health until December 2019, when he ended up in hospital for six weeks after undergoing heart surgery. “I had a quadruple bypass and the valve was repaired,” he said.
He felt grateful just for being alive. “(I) got out of the hospital and got into the pandemic,” he said.
The entire Boss family has taken great precautions to protect it from COVID-19.
“They don’t want to be the ones to bring something to Dad’s house and that’s why they’ve had to sacrifice enough to keep me safe,” Boss said. “It was a challenge and we had to come together as a family and as a community to really help each other.”
Boss says he was so excited to get the vaccine because he qualified for his underlying medical conditions. He said it was a surreal moment. “Now all of a sudden, we have a vaccine a year later and I have a lot more chances to fight it,” he said.
Intermountain Healthcare doctor Tamara Sheffield, medical director of prevention and community health, said the state has given priority to people like Boss for a reason. “But there are other health conditions that put people at high risk of death, and that’s why we’ve been going through those at higher risk and then we continue to progress towards others,” he explained.
Sheffield says the state is following investigations and recommendations provided by the CDC. “As we get more supply, it’s easier for us to match those recommendations,” he said, which now includes those with diabetes, kidney disease, and a BMI of 30 or higher.
As the vaccine will soon be more widely available, he urges all Utahns to receive the vaccine.
“We need these vaccines to protect us, but when you protect yourself, you also protect other people,” Sheffield said. “I will tell you that even healthy and strong people have had serious complications. Therefore, it is important for you personally, but also for that person in your neighborhood or for your friend or mother of your friend who can be at risk. “
Sheffield says the COVID-19 vaccine is a sign of hope for changes in the community. He adds that the best gift of vaccination is tranquility. “You don’t have to worry so much about provoking yourself or spreading the disease to those you love,” he said.
Boss feels happy to be healthy for his wife and three children. “I can’t live life with fear, can I? I just do the best I can every day and try to make a difference in someone else’s life,” he said. “There’s a reason I’m here and I’m doing everything I can to make the most of it,” he said.
Although the investigation is still ongoing, Sheffield said experts predict that between 70% and 90% of Utahns will need to be vaccinated to slow the transmission of COVID-19.
Sheffield encourages those who have had trouble getting a vaccination appointment to be patient. “Don’t worry, we will get a lot more vaccine week after week and easily, in a fairly short period of time, you will be able to have access. Just be patient and persistent,” he said.
Intermountain Healthcare is a state-leading partner in vaccine distribution. To sign up for an appointment, Utahns can also visit coronavirus.utah.gov.