College students, more essential workers become eligible for vaccines today. Here's a list

A subset of Group 4, which includes college students living in group settings and essential workers who were not able to get vaccinated earlier this year, becomes eligible for vaccines on Wednesday, March 31.

Part of Group 4 (people with underlying health conditions and those living in group settings like homeless shelters or prisons) became eligible for vaccines statewide earlier this month. On Wednesday, vaccines become available for the rest of Group 4.

Although some counties, including Cumberland, Lee and Moore, have started vaccinating Group 5 (all adults) early, much of the state will remain in Group 4 until April 7, when the state officially enters Group 5 everyone can get vaccinated.

• Find out what counties are already vaccinating all groups
• Find out which vaccine group you fall under

Vaccines become widely available to students living in dorms or other group settings Wednesday. Here's a list of essential workers in Group 4 who can get their first vaccines beginning Wednesday if they haven't already qualified:

• Chemical (including workers in petrochemical plants, agricultural chemicals, pharmaceutical facilities, consumer products)
• Commercial facilities (including retail workers, hotel workers)
• Communications and information technology (service repair dispatchers, data center operators)
• Construction, residential facilities, housing and real estate
• Defense industrial base (including workers supporting essential services to meet national security commitments)
• Energy (including electric, petroleum, natural and propane gas workers)
• Financial services (including workers who maintain systems for processing financial transactions, workers needed to provide consumer access to banking and lending services)
• Hazardous materials (including nuclear facilities workers, workers managing medical waste)
• Hygiene products and services (including laundromats, sanitation workers)
• Public works and infrastructure support services (including plumbers, electricians, exterminators, workers supporting parks)
• Water and wastewater (including staff at water authorities, wastewater treatment facilities, water sampling and monitoring)

How to find a vaccine near you

WRAL News is maintaining a running list of websites and phone numbers allowing people to make appointments or register for vaccines in each county in the viewing area. You do not have to get a vaccine in your county of residence.

Some counties, like Johnston County, are offering first-come, first-served mass vaccination clinics weekly, but most counties are asking people to make appointments online or over the phone to guarantee their spot.

In Wake County, eligible groups can register their interest in receiving a vaccine and will be contacted by the health department when a shot is available.