Here’s what you need to know about getting on Wake County’s COVID-19 vaccine list
Wake County said those who are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine can join a wait list beginning Tuesday, but they don’t need to worry about busy signals while trying to secure an appointment.
County officials said they are prioritizing vaccine appointments based on factors such as age, vulnerability to COVID-19 through the workplace and infection rates in the recipients’ ZIP code. Many other counties’ process is first-come, first-served.
“We wanted to always have an approach where we don’t have long lines, that we don’t have people standing out in the cold or showing up 12 hours in advance — like trying to get the new iPhone to get their vaccine,” Dr. Jason Wittes, the county’s pharmacy director, told The News & Observer. “This should be a fair and equitable process.”
To get on the Wake County wait list, call 919-250-1515 starting at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The vaccination phone line will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This isn’t an appointment phone line, but instead will be an initial tool to screen eligibility for a wait list.
A similar process will be available at wakegov.com/vaccine, also beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
North Carolina updated its vaccine guidelines on Thursday, switching to a system built around five groups. The first two groups are eligible right now, with Group 1 including all healthcare workers who come into contact with patients, as well as people who live and work in long-term care facilities. Group 2 includes anyone who is at least 65 years old.
Wake County health department officials estimate that there are 50,000 healthcare workers and 133,000 people 65 or older living in the county.
Wake County’s process
When people sign up or call to get on the wait list, they’ll be asked questions about their age, whether they are a healthcare worker, whether they have an established primary care provider and their contact information. Those will be used to determine who is at the highest risk and should receive the vaccine first.
“If you’re a 75-year-old who’s still actively working and a healthcare worker, and you work in 27610, you’re going to be our highest (priority) because the infection rate in that ZIP code is very high,” Wittes said. “You’re going to be one of the first people who is eligible to come and schedule an appointment.”
Wittes said the screening questions will also be used to direct people who are eligible for the vaccine to local hospital systems, where they might already be patients or receive primary care. If they don’t have that kind of relationship, they would be added to Wake County Public Health’s list.
People registered to get on the the wait list Tuesday will not be able to immediately enter the appointment-making process, Wittes stressed.
“You’re not going to be able to book your appointment immediately at the time that you log in,” Wittes said. “It’s not the cattle call, it’s not the bum-rush the system to get in there. There is some logic put into how we allocate the appointments to certain populations.”
When the county’s vaccine supply reaches that person’s point on the wait list, they will receive a phone call, email or text message notifying them that it is time to schedule an appointment. They will also receive an invitation to register for North Carolina’s Coronavirus Vaccine Management System, which is used to register recipients and track doses.
Once someone makes an appointment with Wake County, they will be guaranteed a dose of vaccine, Wittes said.
At the vaccine site, county officials said they will be asked to wait 20 to 30 minutes after their shot to see whether they have an adverse reaction. These have been rare with COVID-19 vaccines, and the waiting period is common.
Anyone who gets a shot will make a follow-up appointment, three weeks later if they receive the Pfizer vaccine and four weeks later if they receive the Moderna vaccine. Recipients will also be given a card showing they received the first dose, as well as a reminder 19 days afterward letting them know about the second appointment.
Limited supply
Through the week of Jan. 11, state officials have allocated providers in Wake County a total of 32,475 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Wake County Public Health has received 5,850 first doses of vaccine, according to the release, and has sent invitations to 9,000 people who are in Group 1.
In a given week, Wake County Public Health has the capacity to provide 2,800 doses of vaccine at its Sunnybrook Road site. Next week, the county is set to receive 975 first doses of vaccine, as well as 1,950 second doses.
“We understand and appreciate the public’s desire to get vaccinated right away, but we can only move as fast as our supply allows,” Wittes said.
If the health department receives larger allocations in future weeks, Wittes added, it has a plan to open a second vaccination site at the Wake County Commons Building, 4011 Carya Drive, a location that is also used for early voting.
The health department is not the only entity with vaccine in Wake County. Other providers inoculating against COVID-19 vaccine in Wake County include Duke Raleigh, UNC Health, UNC Wakebrook and WakeMed Health and Hospitals.
This week, at the direction of DHHS, Wake County also started reaching out to local primary care providers to see whether they’re interested in distributing COVID-19 vaccine to their own patients. Wittes said Wake County Public Health isn’t receiving enough doses to accomplish that yet and would also need to receive allocations of the Moderna vaccine, which can be kept in a regular freezer instead of at the super-cold temperatures the Pfizer vaccine requires.
“If you already have a relationship with a primary care provider, if you’re already going there and you’re 65-plus, we want to be able to support that practice,” Wittes said.
How to get on Wake County’s vaccination wait list
Starting Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 8:30 a.m., call 919-250-1515 or go to wakegov.com/vaccine to begin the process.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 1:05 PM.