Health & Fitness
NC Accelerates Vaccinations For Frontline Workers, Group 4
Starting March 24, North Carolina residents at higher risk for COVID-19 due to medical conditions become eligible for the vaccine.
NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina is accelerating its vaccination schedule, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday.
Citing increased vaccination supply flowing into the state, public health officials will begin vaccinating frontline essential workers one week early, on March 3, and residents at higher risk for COVID-19 due to medical conditions on March 24.
The news comes as North Carolina is set to receive more than 80,000 doses of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine Wednesday, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday.
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SEE ALSO: Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Arrives In NC Wednesday: DHHS
“The state and our providers continue to work extremely hard to get people vaccinated in a way that’s fast and fair,” Cooper said. “The third vaccine and improving vaccine supply will help us get more people vaccinated more quickly.”
Find out what's happening in Charlottefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As of March 3, providers around the state may vaccinate Group 3, which includes all frontline essential workers. Those include:
- Workers manufacturing medical supplies or products needed for food and agricultural supply chains
- College and university instructors and support staff
- Workers in stores that sell groceries and medicine
- Meat packing workers
- Food processing workers
- Farm workers
- Migrant farm/fishery workers
- Restaurant workers
- U.S. Postal service and other shipping workers
- Court workers
- Elected officials
- Clergy
- Homeless shelter staff
- Veterinarians
- Public health workers
- Social workers
- Firefighters and EMS
- Law enforcement
- Corrections workers
- Security officers
- Public transit workers
- DMV workers
- Workers supporting highway infrastructure
More information about Group 3 eligibility in North Carolina may be found here.
SEE ALSO: Where To Get The Coronavirus Vaccine In North Carolina
On March 24, North Carolina will proceed to Group 4, or adult at high risk for exposure and increase risk of severe illness. This group includes anyone between the ages of 16-64 with one or more high-risk medical conditions for severe disease from COVID-19, people living in close group settings and essential workers who have not yet been vaccinated.
High-risk medical conditions include:
- Asthma (moderate to severe)
- Cancer
- Cerebrovascular disease or history of stroke
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Dementia or other neurologic condition
- Diabetes type 1 or 2
- Down Syndrome
- A heart condition such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from: immune deficiencies, HIV, taking chronic steroids or other immune weakening medicines, history of solid organ blood or bone marrow transplant
- Liver disease, including hepatitis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Overweight or obesity
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease (not including sickle cell trait) or thalassemia
- Smoking (current or former, defined as having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime)
More information about Group 4 eligibility in North Carolina may be found here.
“This is a really exciting moment,” DHSS Secretary Mandy Cohen said. "A third COVID-19 vaccine means North Carolina can get more people vaccinated sooner and keep people out of the hospital and prevent deaths from this pandemic.”
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