Joe Kinsey
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Starting March 24, those people in North Carolina who have smoked 100 cigarettes will qualify for vaccines being distributed across the state, officials announced this week. How will they determine whether someone has smoked 100 cigs over their lifetime? That hasn’t been answered.
Catie Armstrong, a spokesperson from the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services told The (Raleigh) News & Observer that “individuals can self-attest to the criteria (e.g., age, job role, health status, living situation) that they qualify for eligible priority groups.”
“It is important for everyone to find their spot and take their shot when it’s their turn. Our goal is to vaccinate as many people as quickly and fairly as possible given the limited supply of vaccines,” she told the newspaper.
And with that, it appears North Carolina has no way of proving whether someone has smoked 100 cigs over their lifetime.
Also included in North Carolina’s Group 4 are people who are overweight or obese. The News & Observer reports the state isn’t requiring some sort of proof of being fat or that you’ve smoked 100 cigs.
In other words, if you feel like jumping in line over someone who’s smoked like a chimney for his/her life, go for it. You could also lie about having asthma, cancer, heart conditions, etc.
“It’s our hope, and expectation, that community members only register when they are eligible, and that when they register, they provide truthful and accurate self-identification,” a health care spokesperson told the paper.
Uh, good luck with that.
Anyone know how they're proving you smoked 100 cigs & not 88? https://t.co/VUJzw0i9Yj
— Joe Kinsey (@JoeKinseyexp) March 3, 2021
Here’s what one OutKick reader thinks the state is up to:
I agree that this will go in a person’s permanent record to haunt them on some future health care or insurance issue.
Just another example of using the “honor” system at the least honorable time in our nation’s history. Like, y’know, voting. Honest people are being played for chumps at every turn.
In Pennsylvania smokers ages 16-64 have been in the first eligible phase since the vaccine was rolled out. https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Vaccine/Pages/Vaccine.aspx
My state is just nuts. I’d like to see the “science” between 99 cigs and the qualifying 100 cigs. Hey NC brain trust, what about second hand smoke? My brother routinely got smoked up in our family car while our smoked – to the point, we both likely passed the 100 cig equivalent by age 5! Gov Stupper and his Democrat cronies have complete lost it on this one. They’ve created a new identity group, the 100 cig special interest group. Only on tobacco road!
Yeah last week