In North Carolina, people 65 years of age or older, health care workers, staff and residents of long-term care facilities, and front-line workers in close contact with the public are eligible for vaccination.
Groups 1-3 are eligible starting March 3. Group 4 – the underlying health conditions – will be able to be vaccinated as early as March 24 and a date has not yet been set for group 5 – the general public.
Important links: Vaccine information county by county Test: Find the group of vaccines | Find a COVID-19 test site near you Maps and data Coronavirus NC | Complete pandemic coverage
Together, groups 3 and 4 include millions of North Carolinaers. Here is a list of who falls into each group.
Group 3: Essential front-line workers
Education and care of children
- Teachers, assistant teachers and student teachers
- School owners, principals and supervisors
- Bus and van drivers
- Family support staff
- Food service workers
- Classroom support and administrative staff
- Custody and maintenance staff
- Therapists and medical staff
- Necessary consultants on site
- Media and IT specialists
- School security staff
- librarian
- School administrative staff
- Instructional support staff
- School nurses (became eligible in group 1)
Food and agriculture
All store workers selling food and medicine, including:
- Meat packing workers
- Food processing workers
- Farm workers
- Migrant workers on the farm / fisherman
- Workers in the food distribution and supply chain
- Restaurant workers
manufacturing
- Workers who manufacture medical supplies, medical equipment or PPE
- Workers who produce products needed for food and agricultural supply chains
Faculty
- College and university instructors and support staff
Community and government
- US Postal Service and other seafarers
- Court workers
- Elected officials
- clergy
- Homeless shelter staff
- Veterinarians, veterinary staff and veterinary students
Health and public health
- Public health workers
- Social workers
First responders and public safety
- Firefighters and EMS
- Law enforcement
- Correction workers
- Security officers
- Public agency workers responding to abuse and neglect
Transport
- Public transport workers
- Vehicle Workers’ Division
- Maintenance and repair techniques in transport
- Workers who support the highway infrastructure
Group 4: Adults at high risk of exposure and at high risk of severe disease
- Asthma (moderate to severe)
- Cancer
- Cerebrovascular disease or a 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 heart disease, cardiomyopathy
- High blood pressure or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised condition (weakened immune system) from: immune deficiencies, HIV, administration of chronic steroids or other drugs to weaken immunity, history of solid organ or bone marrow blood transplantation
- Liver disease, including hepatitis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Overweight or obesity
- Task
- Sickle disease (excluding sickle cell trait) or thalassemia
- Smoking (current or previous, defined as smoking at least 100 cigarettes in a lifetime)
- People who face homelessness or who live in a homeless shelter
- Correctional unit, such as prison or jail