RALEIGH — People with high-risk medical conditions will be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccine starting March 17, state officials said.

The state announced Thursday that people in Group 4 who have a medical condition that puts them at a higher risk of serious illness and people who live in certain congregate settings will be eligible for vaccination. The rest of Group 4, which includes non-front-line essential workers, will become eligible April 7.

“We are very fortunate to now have three tested, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines that keep people out of the hospital and prevent death from this virus,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department Health and Human Services. “With incoming supplies, North Carolina can get more people vaccinated sooner and meet our goals to provide equitable access to vaccinations in every community in the state.

The federal allocation of vaccine for North Carolina has increased, which is allowing providers to administer more vaccines, officials said. However, supply is still limited.

In the last month, more than 20% of the first doses administered in the state have been to Black people, officials added. Equity has been a concern among state and local leaders since the vaccine rollout began.

Eligible people in Groups 1, 2 and 3 can still receive their vaccination.

To find out when you’re eligible to receive your shot, visit www.yourspotyourshot.nc.gov for English information and www.vacunate.nc.gov for Spanish information.

As of Friday, the state had administered around 91% of the total vaccines it had received, according to the N.C. DHHS dashboard. That’s more than 2.9 million doses statewide.

About 11.5% of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated.

Statewide, most people who have received their vaccine have been white, around 75%; and non-Hispanic, around 95%. Around 59% are female. Most people who have received the vaccine are 65 and older, around 57.7%.

More than 316,000 vaccines have been administered in Wake County. More than 116,000 people have taken both doses or about 10.5% of the population.

In Franklin County, more than 17,000 doses have been administered. Around 6,600 people have taken both shots or about 9.5% of the county’s residents.

Granville County reported 11,918 people having had their first dose, and 7,097 now having both doses. That's nearly 20% of the population at least partially vaccinated and 12% fully vaccinated.

CVS and Walgreens have given more than 223,000 vaccines to residents and employees in long-term care facilities.