New Bern, N.C. - The Craven County Health Department has activated an online COVID-19 vaccine appointment scheduler and call center as Phase 1b begins today in Craven County. The call center will be in operation from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call center staff will be available to answer questions and schedule vaccine appointments for individuals that do not have access to the internet and for those who will not be directly scheduled by their medical providers.

Carolina East Health System, Coastal Carolina Health Care (CCHC), and the Craven County Health Department have moved to priority populations within Phase 1b of the vaccination plan. Priority populations include first, those that are 75 years of age and older, health care workers and frontline essential workers 50 years of age and older, and then health care workers and frontline essential workers of any age. Scheduling and vaccinations of individuals that are 75 years of age and older will start today. A notice will be announced when scheduling is open for other Phase 1b populations. 

As a local medical community Carolina East, CCHC, and the Craven County Health Department are working together to vaccinate our citizens in Phase 1b.

• Patients of Carolina East and CCHC will be contacted directly by their medical provider’s office to have their vaccine appointment scheduled. Patients of Carolina East and CCHC do not need to call their provider’s office. 
• Health Department patients that are 75 years of age and older will be called by the Health Department to schedule their vaccine appointment so there is no need for those patients to call for an appointment. 
• Individuals that are not a patient of Carolina East, CCHC, or the Craven County Health Department and do not have access to the internet should call the COVID-19 vaccine call center at 252-636-6693 for assistance. Individuals that have internet access can schedule their appointment online at www.cravencountync.gov. An email address will be required to schedule a vaccine appointment online. 
• Please be patient. There are more than 16,000 patients ages 75 and older to be vaccinated by three entities and vaccine dosage allotments received from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is unknown. 

By dividing the population between Carolina East, CCHC and the Craven County Health Department more people can be vaccinated at a faster pace. The Phase 1b priority group is much larger than the Phase 1a priority group so it will take several weeks to work through this population. Both vaccines that are currently available are a two-shot vaccine, which means it is double the work to schedule and administer when compared to the seasonal flu shot. For updates on current phase, vaccination locations, and resources please visit the COVID-19 vaccine page at www.cravencountync.gov and the Craven County Health Department Facebook page @cravencountyhealth.