Raleigh, NC On Monday, teachers and school employees in Group 3A of the North Carolina Vaccine could register to receive a vaccine in Wake County.
Each province will distribute vaccines differently to school and child care workers, and the vaccination is expected to begin as early as Wednesday. Starting Monday, people wishing to register for a vaccine in Wake County can visit wakegov.com/vaccine to fill out an online application form or call the 24/7 vaccination phone at 919-250-1515.
People will have to answer “yes” to one of the following questions to register:
- Are you 65 years or older?
- Are you a health worker?
- Do you work in Childcare or in a pre-K to Grade 12 school?
- Do you have to be at work in person?
Once enough vaccinations are available, people on the waiting list will be contacted by email, phone or text message. They can then make an appointment online or by phone to get their vaccination. Second dose appointments will be scheduled during the first appointment.
North Carolina has vaccinated older people 65 years and older and long-term caregivers for months.
Since the waiting list opened on Jan. 19, Wake County has received 120,000 vaccination requests. Stacy Beard of Wake County said the number could include duplicates from people who have submitted their name multiple times – or people who have received a vaccine elsewhere.
“We’re working on the list to better reflect how many people are really ‘waiting’ for a shot at us,” Beard said. “The actual number is likely to be significantly lower, which makes us feel much better with the opening of requests for teachers today.”
People in groups 1 and 2 can register with Group 3A on the Wake County website.
Wake County Public Health vaccinated about 2,000 people a day by appointment at its three vaccination sites – PNC Arena, the Wake County Public Health Center and the Wake County Commons Building. Vaccinations are also available at Duke Health, UNC REX and WakeMed Health and Hospitals, along with some local pharmacies.
On Tuesday, the province expects a shipment of 8,380 doses, 3,900 of which will be dedicated to the drive-through event at PNC Arena.
“We fired 3,337 shots at PNC in the three days it’s been operating,” Beard said. “If you include today, we’ll have nearly 5,000 shots on the doorstep site, with three more days planned for later this week.”
Earlier in February, Governor Roy Cooper said all K-12 school staff and all those working in child care would be eligible for vaccinations from February 24. All other “essential” workers at the front, such as police officers, firefighters and grocery workers. , will have to wait until March 10 to start vaccinating.
The governor needs subdivision of group 3 in the state’s vaccination priority list to balance the limited supply of vaccine with the large number of frontline workers in the state.
North Carolina receives only 150,000 doses of vaccine from the federal government each week, and the state has about 240,000 public school staff.
Previously, civil servants said they did not intend to divide Group 3 into smaller units and prioritize some occupations over others. But Cooper said teachers at the front of Group 3 are merely pragmatic.
“There was concern about all these essential frontline workers in a large group, in Group 3, who suddenly got stuck in the system, that it would be problematic,” he said. “To start with a smaller number of Group 3 essential workers, suppliers are helping to streamline the distribution of vaccines.”
Mandy Cohen, secretary of health and human services, said providers may go to schools or workplaces to give shots, or that they may designate a specific day of the week when only educators or other front-line workers can receive vaccinations. The state’s vaccination tracking system will soon enable employers to upload employee information to pre-register it, she said.
However, Cohen warned that the fitness dates of February 24 and March 10 do not necessarily mean that people will then start shooting. Some counties have long waiting lists of people in Group 1 or Group 2 still waiting for their shots – Wake County’s list, for example, has more than 80,000 people – so teachers and other frontline workers have to wait their turn, she said.
Find out how to get a vaccine in your area.
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL anchor / reporter Adam Owens contributed to this report.