On Wednesday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced that teachers and school employees would be prioritized in Group 3 to be eligible to begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine Feb. 24.
What does that mean for when you're eligible to receive the shot?
North Carolina's FindMyGroup website helps break down which group you fall into by answering a handful of questions.
Among the questions:
- Do you live, work or volunteer in health care or long-term care settings?
- What is your age?
- Do you work in any essential jobs, such as critical manufacturing, education, food and agriculture, government and community services, public safety or transportation?
- Do you work in any further prioritized settings, such as hygiene products and services, energy, financial services, commercial facilities (including retail and hotel workers) or communications and information technology?
- Do you have any high-risk conditions for COVID-19, including asthma, cancer, diabetes, are pregnant, a smoker or are obese?
- Do you live in a close group-living setting, such as a homeless shelter or correctional facility?
The Mecklenburg County Public Health Department, meanwhile, announced Thursday that more vaccine appointment options were available and that a waitlist had been established for the Charlotte area. Pre-K through 12-grade teachers (along with school staff and childcare providers) can start scheduling appointments Friday, Feb. 12, for time slots Feb. 24-March 9. That can be done here or by calling 980-314-9400 and selecting Option 3.
The county's waitlist will launch Friday and can be found at mecknc.gov/COVID-19.
North Carolina is currently vaccinating people in the first two groups of its five-group vaccine plan: health care workers, people ages 65 and older and those who live or work in long-term care facilities like nursing homes.
The plan announced Wednesday puts school personnel ahead of other essential workers in Group 3 like grocery store employees, police officers, farmworkers and restaurant employees. Those people will have to wait until March 10, when the state plans to make vaccines available to additional essential workers.
As of data available Thursday, North Carolina has vaccinated more than 1 million people with the first dose of the two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, with 331,401 people having received the second dose.
Demographic information on those who have been vaccinated with the first shot thus far show 79% are white, and 68% are age 65 or older.
North Carolina also lists vaccine location sites on at MySpot.nc.gov/map-view.
There is no cost for the COVID-19 vaccine, even if you don't have health insurance.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides information on all state eligibility requirements at its website here.