Another wave of people becomes eligible for a COVID vaccine next Wednesday – including 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.
After Johnston County announced that it would include Group 4 in a first-come, first-served clinic on Friday afternoon, so many cars lined up at Johnston Community College on Friday that organizers announced that they had reached maximum capacity before the scheduled start time for the event at 2:00 pm.
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.
People will not have to present proof of health condition to register.
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.
WRAL has compiled a list of specific health conditions that make it eligible for Group 4.
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.
North Carolina will move to Group 4 a week ahead of schedule. In Chatham County, more than 1,000 people have pre-registered.
Health Director Michael Zelek said Group 3 consultations are scheduled. Some counties, however, such as Johnston, Vance and Granville have already started vaccinating Group 4.
WRAL has compiled a list of locations and contact information for locations that administer COVID vaccines across the state.
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.