Many states allow people with a BMI over 30 to get the COVID vaccine. But for some with obesity, it’s not that simple

Many states allow people with a BMI over 30 to get the COVID vaccine. But for some with obesity, it’s not that simple

Sabrina Strings, an associate professor of sociology at the University of California Irvine and author of “Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia,” called BMI an ineffective and offensive way to expand vaccine eligibility and said “there’s a far greater relationship between negative outcomes and race.” Strings said the CDC could have prioritized vaccines for groups disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, such as by race itself, or prioritized grocery store workers or delivery drivers to help stop community spread.