NH Coronavirus Vaccines: Nearly 150,000 Sign Up As Eligibility Expands To 65+

CONCORD, N.H. (CBS) -- Nearly 150,000 New Hampshire residents registered online to get their coronavirus vaccine Friday, as the state opened up eligibility to more groups, including anyone 65 and over.

Gov. Chris Sununu said that as of 3 p.m., 147,621 people had signed up for vaccinations, which start Tuesday. Others eligible under "Phase 1B" of the state's plan include the medically vulnerable with two or more underlying conditions, residents and staff at residential facilities for people with intellectual disabilities, correction officers and staff, and any health workers or first responders not already vaccinated.

"Today's roll-out exceeded expectations and the teams across state government deserve immense credit for their role in making today such a great success," Sununu said in a statement. "Based on preliminary sign-ups we will be ready to hit the ground running and will vaccinate the hundreds of thousands of folks in Phase 1B as quickly as the federal government delivers it."

Sununu has urged patience as the state expected "unprecedented" volume for online signups and calls to 211. But wait times of 25 minutes for callers in the morning dropped to under 5 minutes by afternoon, he said.

Sununu said if the federal government is able increase its vaccine allocation, more reservation spots will be put into the system. He said the state is currently receiving around 17,000 vaccines a week with more than 300,000 people currently eligible.

For information on how to sign up to receive the vaccine, visit the state's website.