Vaccines have slowly made their way into the prison system but not until more than a third of the people in jails and prisons became infected. In some cases, these facilities were the worst superspreaders — with infections spreading between prisoners and staff. Read more: https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2021/the-astonishing-toll-of-covid-19-in-jails-and-prisons/
WILX reports that many Michigan corrections officers are not getting vaccinated. Some of this may be because so many prisoners and prison staff have already been infected that many do not see a need to get vaccinated. Read more: https://www.wilx.com/2021/03/29/corrections-officers-not-getting-vaccinated-as-prison-case-numbers-rising/
As states have begun COVID-19 inoculations at prisons across the country, corrections employees are refusing vaccines at alarming rates, causing some public health experts to worry about the prospect of controlling the pandemic both inside and outside. The Marshall Project and The Associated Press in collaboration spoke with correctional officers and union leaders nationwide, [...]
The Los Angeles Times reports that 40% of inmates in California’s corrections system have received the COVID-19 vaccine, a figure praised by prison advocates who say that only a fraction of the state’s vaccine supply is needed to protect a population that’s among the most vulnerable to the virus. The vaccinations began Dec. 22 according [...]
Michigan is expected to get 82,700 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Along with other COVID-19 vaccination drug shipments, Michigan will see its biggest shipment this first week of March at a time when demand far exceeds supply. Read more: [...]
The Michigan Daily reports that activists and students are criticizing Michigan's COVID immunization plan for not prioritizing individuals in prison. As COVID cases continue to rise in Michigan's prisons, activists and families of those in Michigan prisons are pressing for prisoners to have priority for vaccination because of living conditions in prison. Read more: [...]
The Lansing State Journal reports that advocates are calling on Michigan to start prioritizing inmates for vaccination as COVID spreads through the state's prison system. The coronavirus has taken a staggering toll on Michigan prisons. More than 23,700 inmates have tested positive, Michigan Department of Corrections figures show, and 127 have died. The state's prison population [...]
ABC affiliate WZZM 13 reports that a coalition of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, are urging the governor's office and the state health department director to prioritize the vaccination of people who are incarcerated. Currently all state of Michigan prison facilities have had outbreaks of COVID-19 and 123 prisoners have [...]
ABC News reports that as Michigan begins receiving vaccines for COVID, the Michigan Department of Corrections has started the process of vaccinating its health care staff against COVID-19. However, inmates will have to wait. Michigan classifies prison inmates the same as the general population, so they will not be eligible for the vaccine until [...]
NPR explores why US prisons, often major COVID-19 hotspots, are not getting vaccine priority. The article notes: The 2.3 million people incarcerated in the U.S. are nearly five times as likely to test positive for the coronavirus as Americans generally and nearly three times as likely to die, after adjusting for age and sex. But [...]
