DEAR DR. ROACH: I read that there is updated advice on who should get the COVID vaccine based on age and risk factors. How many Americans were hospitalized for COVID who did not have these latest qualifying risk factors? — N.R.

ANSWER: Although the most recent update on the licensing of the COVID vaccines from the Food and Drug Adminstration did not specify which conditions qualify a person for the vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control have maintained a list of high-risk conditions:

This includes being over 65 years old, having heart or lung disease, being obese, having neurological or developmental conditions, and having an immune deficiency. (The entire detailed list can be found here: CDC.gov/COVID/hcp/clinical-care/underlying-conditions.html.)

The FDA has estimated that between

See Full Page