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COVID-19 Vaccine | Everything you need to know in Virginia and North Carolina

We know there are a lot of questions about the coronavirus vaccine, including where to get it, so we put together information and resources in one place to help you.

13News Now Staff

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Published: 4:11 PM EST January 18, 2021
Updated: 10:08 AM EDT April 14, 2021

NORFOLK, Va.

If all the information about the COVID-19 seems a little overwhelming, we hear you. There's a lot out there, along with a pile of questions and some confusion. We put this together as a one-stop destination to help. We'll update it with more information as we get it.

Virginia

Virginia Department of Health has a series of questions you can answer to help you find out when you can get vaccinated. You also can sign up to be notified when you're eligible to get vaccinated.

The VDH has also set up a hotline at 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682). Language translation services are available.

COVID-19 Vaccine Phases

Phase 1a

  • Health care workers
  • Residents of long-term care facilities

Phase 1b

  • Frontline essential workers
  • People 65 and older
  • People living in correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and migrant labor camps
  • People 16 through 64 years old who have a high-risk medical condition or disability that increases their chances of getting severely ill from COVID-19

Phase 1c

  • Other essential workers energy, water, wastewater and waste removal, housing and construction, food service, transportation and logistics, institutions of higher learning, finance, information technology and communications, media, legal services, public safety and public health.

Phase 2

  • According to the Virginia Department of Health, anyone 16 and older, who lives or works in Virginia and is pre-registered will be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Some localities will make the transition into Phase 2 sooner and will begin inviting members of the general public from the pre-registration list to appointments beginning April 4.

Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore

Here's a list of the current phases in which the Virginia Department of Health says cities and counties in Hampton Roads and on the Eastern Shore, along with links to their health district websites and phone numbers to vaccine call centers:

Phase 1a

Note: As of January 26, all of Virginia is now in Phase 1b.

Phase 1b

Phase 1c

Beginning in mid-March, parts of the Hampton Roads region began moving into Phase 1c, with the Eastern Shore Health District being the first on March 16.

The following local health districts are now in Phase 1c:

These health districts will also continue to vaccinate anyone eligible under Phases 1a and 1b.

Governor Northam announced that all Virginians ages 16 and older will be able to get an appointment for a COVID-19 shot by April 18 -- ahead of President Biden's May 1 nationwide goal.

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Phase 2

Starting in early April, a few localities around Hampton Roads moved on to Phase 2 of Virginia's COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan and opened up vaccinations to the general public.

Health districts will continue to prioritize vaccinations for anyone eligible under Phases 1a, 1b and 1c. 

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How to Get Vaccinated

At first, people had to pre-register with their local health districts to be put on a waiting list for the vaccine.  On February 12, the Virginia Department of Health announced the state would be centralizing into a single pre-registration system across the Commonwealth. 

MORE INFO: Virginia to create statewide COVID-19 pre-registration system, stop using local health district forms

People who already pre-registered with their local health district do not have to sign up again; their information will be entered into the statewide system. Public health leaders tell 13News Now people would "maintain their current status in the queue."

Virginia's centralized website to pre-register is vaccinate.virginia.gov.

VDH emailed people the first weekend in March to let them know that new questions had been added to the pre-registration form and that they should put in their new information to ensure their appointments weren't delayed. In order to do that, people need to select Verify and Update Your Record on the centralized website.

RELATED: Virginia's new COVID call center is live. Here's how it works, and more

Health Care Systems

Sentara

As of Jan. 20, 2021 Sentara Healthcare is in Phase 1b vaccine administration for eligible Sentara Medical Group (SMG) patients in addition to continuing Phase 1a vaccinations for its 30,000+ employees and community healthcare workers across the state.

Sentara is offering a limited number of vaccines to eligible Phase 1b patients in Virginia who have a SMG primary care provider, starting with those who are 75 years and older. Eligible patients are being contacted using a phased approach and clinics will be expanded, depending on future vaccine supply. Eligible SMG patients will be contacted directly through their Sentara MyChart account or by phone/text message when they are able to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.

RELATED: Sentara Medical Group begins vaccinating people 75 and older

Riverside

Riverside has begun vaccinating Riverside patients, age 75 and older, who have a Riverside primary care physician.

Riverside says it is working closely with other regional health systems and the Virginia Department of Health to develop detailed plans for members of the public age 65 and over as well as other essential workers once adequate supplies of vaccines become available.

Riverside will be reaching out to its patients through email, text, and Riverside MyChart to eligible patients to schedule an appointment, as supply allows. 

If you are a patient and do not have a MyChart account, please visit riversideonline.com/mychart to sign up. Obtaining a MyChart account will facilitate scheduling a vaccine appointment once you become eligible to receive the vaccine.

Pharmacies

As of March 17, the Virginia Department of Health said Federal Retail Pharmacy partners will expand within Phase 1b to offer vaccines to individuals who are 16-64 with high-risk medical conditions, as well as frontline essential workers, including:

  • Police, Fire, and Hazmat
  • Corrections and homeless shelters
  • Food and Agriculture (including veterinarians)
  • Manufacturing
  • Grocery stores (including farmers’ market food vendors)
  • Public transit (including rideshare drivers)
  • Mail carriers (USPS and private)
  • Officials needed to maintain continuity of government (including judges and public-facing judicial workers)
  • Clergy/faith leaders
  • Janitorial/cleaning

The expansion follows the state’s recent announcement that some Virginia communities could move from Phase 1b to Phase 1c, based upon a variety of factors, including vaccine demand decreases despite strong efforts to engage eligible populations, particularly among those who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

RELATED: It's not just Walgreens or CVS; independent pharmacies are also administering COVID-19 vaccine in Hampton Roads

There are more than 300 pharmacies currently receiving vaccines within this federal program, which has the ability to expand to over 1,000 pharmacies across Virginia. Pharmacy expansion is based on equitable and fair access, demand, and supply.

Individuals who are interested in getting vaccinated at a local pharmacy may visit VaccineFinder.org to find eligible pharmacy locations, hours, phone numbers, and scheduling links where available. While many pharmacies have continued to work directly with the health departments to vaccinate vulnerable populations, some pharmacies have online scheduling for vaccine appointments.

Other Community Members

Mass vaccination centers are also being set up in many communities led by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). Community members who have questions about when and where they can be vaccinated can call the VDH Hotline at 877-ASK-VDH3 (877-275-8343) or the NCDHHS Hotline at 877-490-6642.

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North Carolina

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services put together a tool to help people determine their vaccine groups and to help people find vaccine locations. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Groups 

Group 1

  • Health care workers with in-person patient contact
  • Long-term care staff and residents in skilled nursing facilities, adult care homes, and continuing care retirement communities

Group 2

  • Older adults, which is defined as anyone 65 or older, regardless of health status or living situation

Group 3

  • Frontline essential workers whom the CDC defines as people who are in positions that are essential to the functioning of society and who are at substantially higher risk for exposure to COVID-19

Group 4

  • Anyone 16-64 years old with high-risk medical conditions that increase risk of severe disease from COVID-19 such as cancer, COPD, serious heart conditions, sickle cell disease, Type 2 diabetes, among others, regardless of living situation
  • Anyone who is incarcerated or living in other close group living settings who is not already vaccinated due to age, medical condition or job function
  • Essential workers not yet vaccinated. The CDC defines these as workers in transportation and logistics, water and wastewater, food service, shelter and housing (e.g., construction), finance (e.g., bank tellers), information technology and communications, energy, legal, media, public safety (e.g., engineers) and public health workers

Group 5

  • Everyone who wants a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccination

State health leaders announced an accelerated timeline for moving to Groups 4 and 5 for vaccine eligibility. The rest of Group 4 will qualify for a COVID-19 vaccine on March 31.

Beginning April 7, all adults in North Carolina will be eligible for a shot.

RELATED: All adults in NC will be eligible to get COVID-19 vaccine starting April 7

To find out what group you fall in, the NCDHHS has created an online tool to look it up.

How to Get Vaccinated

Because vaccine supplies are still limited, you may have to wait. Here is how to take your shot against COVID-19:

  • Supplies are very limited. Right now, very few vaccine doses are available.
  • You will likely need an appointment to get vaccinated. You may have to wait to schedule your appointment to get your vaccine.
  • Your local health department or hospital can help you get your shot. Because supplies are very limited right now, most doctors cannot provide vaccinations in their offices.
  • Find your local health department or hospital. Local health departments and hospitals that giving vaccinations in your area are listed below. Because vaccine supplies are very limited, providers may have very little to no vaccine doses available when you contact them.
  • You can also call the COVID-19 Line 1-877-490-6642. It’s a free call.

Northeastern North Carolina and OBX Vaccine Providers:

Frequently Asked Questions

North Carolina put together a list of questions people have about the vaccine, itself, as well as getting vaccinated in the state:

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