The availability of the COVID-19 vaccine continues to spread in North Carolina.
On Wednesday, WRAL News broke the news that Governor Roy Cooper would expand access to a fourth group of the population, those with high-risk conditions like diabetes, asthma and heart disease. Group 4 also includes overweight and obese people – a factor that has been linked to more serious illnesses with COVID.
Some counties are already vaccinating these people or making appointments for them.
At the Johnston County on Friday, so many people lined up for a clinic on a first-come, first-served basis at Johnston Community College that the organizers announced that they had reached maximum capacity before the scheduled start time for the event at 2 pm.
Robeson County was vaccinating those in all eligible groups on Friday, without waiting, a county health spokeswoman told WRAL News. “We don’t have a waiting list,” she said. “Appointments and visits are accepted for all vaccination groups. To pre-schedule an appointment, call 910-671-3216, 910-671-3220 or 910-671-3255.
Robeson County also accepts scheduling requests by email. Send a message including your name, phone number, date of birth and what qualifies you for the vaccine to [email protected].
Durham County started scheduling appointments for those in Group 4 on Thursday and will start vaccinating them on March 17, according to a press release.
At the Chatham County, more than 1,000 people in Group 4 have already signed up for vaccination appointments.
Cumberland County registrations will begin at 5 pm on Friday for a drive-thru clinic for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination to be performed on Saturday, March 20, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Crown Complex. To make an appointment, go to co.cumberland.nc.us/covid19vaccine or call 910-678-7657.
Wake County plans to open its online vaccination registration system to those in Group 4 affected by the governor’s decision on or before March 17, said spokeswoman Stacy Beard.
“We were able to administer, on average, more than 10,000 first doses per week, so we are optimistic about this progress through the eligible groups,” said Beard in an email to WRAL News, noting that people who signed up online are getting a vaccination appointment scheduled in less than a week, on average.
At the Sampson County, clinics scheduled for March 17 or later will include Group 4 clinics. The county has events scheduled for March 17, 26, and 31 at the Sampson County Agri Expo Center, and a clinic for the first dose on March 24 at Charles E. Perry School.
Wayne County will begin vaccinating those in Group 4 with pre-existing health problems on March 17. The rest of Group 4 – any essential unvaccinated worker – becomes eligible on April 7. Consultations can be scheduled online in advance.
WRAL has compiled a list of specific health conditions that make you eligible for Group 4. People do not need to provide proof of a health condition to register.
For example, a person with 1.75 and 150 pounds would be considered overweight. Someone with 1.70m and 75 kg would also be considered overweight and would qualify for the vaccine. If you are unsure whether or not you qualify for a vaccine based on your weight, take a look at a BMI calculator to see if you fall into the category of overweight or obesity.
Smokers are also included in Group 4. The term ‘smoker’ is defined as having smoked 100 cigarettes in his lifetime.
Some have raised concerns about including smokers – but Holland said patients with any type of lung injury could get worse if they were diagnosed with COVID.
An NC county opens nominations for Group 5
Onslow County is provisionally opening appointments for Group 5 – but they will have no priority over anyone in Group 4. However, if they take extra doses, adults in Group 5 will be able to make an appointment.
Group 5 people can call the hotline 910-989-5027. They can join a list and, when vacancies are opened, they will receive a call back. This is to ensure that your doses are not wasted, according to the guidelines.