How Many North Carolinians Fall into Each Vaccination Group?

Information can be an antidote to the anxiety, especially among those who fall into the last group to be vaccinated. Here is a very rough breakdown of the number of residents in each vaccination group.

Posted 5:23 p.m. Mar 3, 2021 — Updated 5:23 p.m. Mar 3, 2021

Liisa Ogburn

Today is the one year anniversary since the first case of COVID was documented in North Carolina. It is 77 days since the first vaccines arrived here. It would be an understatement to say that the majority of residents are eager to finally get their vaccine. North Carolina began vaccinating higher priority members of Group 3, teachers and school workers, on February 24. Governor Cooper announced that the remaining frontline essential workers in Group 3 can begin getting vaccinations starting today. He also announced "a target date of March 24 for select members of Group 4, including adults 16-64 with existing health conditions that make them high risk for severe cases of COVID-19."

While the NC DHHS has one of the best reporting mechanics on its website in the country, in terms of how many people have been vaccinated, what is harder to find is information on how many people fall in each of the five Groups.

This is partly because it is nearly impossible to provide precise figures since a fair number of people may fall into multiple groups based on job role, living situation, age or a qualifying condition.

Catie Armstrong, Press Assistant with the Office of Communications at the NC Department of Health and Human Services, provided these population estimates, emphasizing that these are estimates. I have added in the percentage of the whole population each group constitutes, as well as the day vaccinations first began for that group or are anticipated to begin.

Group 1 – 547,000 (roughly 5% of state)

(Vaccinations began December 15, 2020)

Health Care workers critical to COVID-19 response (160,000)

Long Term Care staff (57,000) and residents (95,000)

Direct Health Care Workers Not Included in 1A (Total population = 292,000)

Group 2 – 1.2 million (roughly 11% of state)

(Vaccinations began January 4, 2021 for 75+ and expanded January 14 for 65+)

75 years or older (435,000)

Persons 65-75 years old (798,000)

Group 3 – 1.2 million (roughly 11% of state)

(Vaccinations began February 24, 2021 and expanded March 3, 2021)

Frontline essential workers* estimated

Group 4 – 4.2 million (roughly 40% of state)

(Vaccinations are anticipated to begin March 24, 2021)

Persons aged 16 to 64 years with one or more high risk medical conditions – (4.1 million)

Persons who are incarcerated or living in congregate settings who are not already vaccinated due to age or job function - (23,000)

Essential workers who have not yet been vaccinated due to age or job function (47,000)

Group 5 – 3.5 million (roughly 33% of state)

For someone who has been carefully watching the vaccine rollout daily and noting gained efficiencies most weeks, now with the addition of the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine, perhaps this documented progress might be encouraging.

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