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 to receive a vaccine.
Groups 1-3 are eligible starting March 3rd. Group 4 (people with underlying health conditions) will be able to be vaccinated on March 24 and the date for group 5 (general public) has not yet been determined.
Important links: Vaccine information county by county Contest: Find Your Vaccine Group | Find a COVID-19 test site near you Coronavirus NC Maps & Data Complete pandemic coverage
Together, groups 3 and 4 include millions of North Carolinians. Here is a list of who belongs to each group.
Group 3: front-line essential workers
Education and care of children
- Teachers, teaching assistants and student teachers
- School owners, principals and supervisors
- Bus and van drivers
- Family support staff
- Food service workers
- Administrative and classroom support staff
- Custody and maintenance staff
- Therapists and medical staff
- Mandatory in situ consultants
- Media and computer specialists
- School safety staff
- Librarians
- School administrative staff
- Instructional support staff
- School nurses (elected to group 1)
Food and agriculture
All store workers selling groceries and medicines, including:
- Meat packing workers
- Food processing workers
- Agricultural workers
- Agricultural / fishing migrant workers
- Food distribution and supply chain workers
- Restaurant workers
Manufacturing
- Workers who manufacture medical supplies, medical equipment or PPE
- Workers who manufacture the products needed for food and agricultural supply chains
University / university
- College and university instructors and support staff
Community and government
- U.S. Postal Service and other shipping workers
- Judicial workers
- Elected officials
- Clergy
- Shelter staff for homeless people
- Veterinarians, veterinary staff and veterinary students
Health care 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
- Motor Vehicle Workers Division
- Transport maintenance and repair technicians
- Workers who support the highway infrastructure
Group 4: adults at high risk of exposure and higher risk of serious illness
- 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
- Heart disease such as heart failure, coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy
- Hypertension or hypertension
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) of: immune deficiencies, HIV, taking chronic steroids or other drugs to weaken immunity, history of solid organ or bone marrow blood transplant
- Liver disease, including hepatitis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Overweight or obesity
- Pregnancy
- Sickle disease (not including the sickle feature) or thalassemia
- Smoking (current or previous, defined as having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in life)
- People living homeless or living in a homeless shelter
- Correctional center, such as prison or jail