In North Carolina, people 65 or older, health professionals, staff and residents of long-term care facilities, and front-line workers who are in close contact with the public are eligible to receive a vaccine.
Groups 1-3 are eligible from March 3rd. Group 4 – people with underlying health conditions – can be vaccinated as early as March 24, and a date for group 5 – the general public – has yet to be set.
Important links: Vaccine information by province | Quiz: Find Your Vaccine Group | Find a COVID-19 Test Site Near You | Coronavirus NC Charts and Data | Full pandemic coverage
Together, groups 3 and 4 comprise millions of North Carolina people. Here’s a list of who comes under each group.
Group 3: Key frontline employees
Education and childcare
- Teachers, teacher assistants and trainee teachers
- School owners, directors and counselors
- Bus and van drivers
- Family support staff
- Food service workers
- Class support and administrative staff
- Custodial and maintenance personnel
- Therapists and medical personnel
- Required on-site consultants
- Media & IT specialists
- Security personnel at school
- Librarians
- School administrative staff
- Instructive support staff
- School nurses (were eligible in group 1)
Food and agriculture
All employees in stores that sell groceries and medicines, including:
- Meat packers
- Food processing workers
- Farmers
- Migrant farm / fishery workers
- Food providers and employees in the supply chain
- Restaurant employees
production
- Employees who manufacture medical supplies, medical equipment or personal protective equipment
- Employees who manufacture products necessary for food and agriculture supply chains
University / college
- Teachers and support staff of colleges and universities
Community and government
- US Postal Service and other freight forwarders
- Court clerks
- Elected officials
- Clergy
- Homeless shelter staff
- Veterinarians, veterinarian personnel and veterinarian students
Healthcare and public health
- Public health workers
- Social workers
First responders and public safety
- Firefighters and EMS
- Law enforcement
- Corrections employees
- Security officers
- Public temps respond to abuse and neglect
Transport
- Public transport workers
- Department of workers in motor vehicles
- Transport maintenance and repair technicians
- Employees supporting highway infrastructure
Group 4: Adults with a high risk of exposure and an increased risk of serious illness
- Asthma (moderate to severe)
- Cancer
- Cerebrovascular disease or history of stroke
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Dementia or other neurological condition
- Type 1 or 2 diabetes
- Down syndrome
- A heart condition such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) due to: immune deficiencies, HIV, ingestion of chronic steroids or other immune-weakening drugs, history of solid organ blood or bone marrow transplant
- Liver disease, including hepatitis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Overweight or obese
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease (excluding sickle cell trait) or thalassemia
- Smoking (current or former, defined as at least 100 cigarettes smoked during their lifetime)
- People who are homeless or live in homeless shelters
- Correctional facility, such as prison or prison