Mecklenburg County begins booking COVID-19 vaccine for all adults in April

Mecklenburg County, NC — Health officials in Mecklenburg County, NC have announced that new COVID-19 vaccination appointments will begin Tuesday at the Bojangles Coliseum Clinic.

The clinic will start from 8:30 am on March 30th to April 12th. The new slot allows everyone in groups 1-5, including individuals 16 years and older, to sign up for vaccination.

Groups can schedule bookings so that Group 5 qualifies for booking dates starting April 7. Starting April 7, the Mecklenburg County Public Health Department will open a new reservation every Wednesday at 8:30 am for the next week’s reservation.

Individuals in groups 1 and 3 who live or work in Mecklenburg County, residents of Group 2 counties aged 65 and over, and all residents of groups 4 and 5 are welcome. StarMed.Care Alternatively, call the MCPH COVID-19 hotline (980-314-9400). If you have no plans, qualified individuals can join the waiting list at: MeckNC.gov/COVID-19..

About Mecklenburg County Immunization Plan

The Mecklenburg County Immunization Program follows federal and state recommendations and follows current guidelines. Due to the limited supply of vaccines, vaccine distribution is being rolled out in groups.

The groups currently covered by the COVID-19 vaccine are:

• Group 1: Healthcare workers and care staff and residents fighting COVID-19 — skilled care facilities, adult care facilities, people in the continuous care retiree community).And
• Group 2: People aged 65 and over regardless of their health or living conditions.And
• Group 3: Frontline key workers who need to be in the field to work:
  • Important manufacturing
  • Education and childcare
  • Necessities
  • Food and agriculture
  • Government and community services
  • Healthcare and public health
  • Public security
  • transportation
• Group 4: Residents aged 16-64 years with one or more of the following high-risk medical conditions of serious illness due to COVID-19, people living in a dense group environment, especially shelters and detention centers, and still vaccines Essential workers who have not been vaccinated and are currently working in one of the key sectors outlined below.
  • • High-risk medical conditions:
      • Asthma (moderate to severe)
      • cancer
      • History of cerebrovascular accident or stroke
      • Chronic kidney disease
      • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
      • Cystic fibrosis
      • Type 1 or type 2 diabetes
      • Heart disease such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy
      • High blood pressure or high blood pressure
      • Pulmonary fibrosis
      • Intellectual and developmental disorders, including Down syndrome
      • Liver diseases including hepatitis
      • Neurological conditions such as dementia and schizophrenia
      • pregnancy
      • Overweight or obese
      • Sickle cell disease (not including sickle cell trait) or thalassemia
      • Smoking (currently or previously defined as smoking at least 100 cigarettes in a lifetime)
      • Immunodeficiency (weakened immunity): History of immunodeficiency, HIV, taking chronic steroids or other immunocompromised drugs, solid organ blood or bone marrow transplantation
    • Required sector:
      • Chemicals (including workers in petrochemical plants, pesticides, pharmaceutical facilities and consumer goods)
      • Commercial facilities (including retail shop workers and hotel workers)
      • Communication and information technology (service repair dispatcher, data center operator)
      • Construction, housing facilities, housing and real estate
      • Defense industry infrastructure (including workers who support essential services to fulfill national security commitments)
      • Energy (including workers in electricity, oil, natural gas and propane gas)
      • Financial services, including workers who maintain systems for processing financial transactions and workers needed to provide consumer access to banks and lending services.
      • Dangerous goods (including workers at nuclear facilities and workers who manage medical waste)
      • Hygiene products and services (including laundromats and hygiene workers)
      • Public works and infrastructure support services (including plumbers, electricians, extermination contractors, and workers supporting parks)
      • Water and wastewater (including water department, wastewater treatment facility, water sampling and monitoring staff)
        Group 5: Starting April 7, anyone who wishes to receive a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccination is eligible to make an appointment.

For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit: www.MeckNC.gov/COVID-19 Alternatively, call the Public Health COVID-19 Hotline (980-314-9400).

Mecklenburg County vaccine providers administer three safe and highly effective COVID-19 vaccines, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer-BioNTech, which have been issued an emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration. These COVID-19 vaccines are available free of charge to anyone who has been vaccinated, regardless of whether or not they have health insurance.