Less than 5% of Rikers inmates receive COVID vaccine
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Just 4.7 percent of New York City inmates have received the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Correctional Health Services. AP Photo/Seth Wenig
By David Brand
Less than 5 percent of New York City inmates have received the COVID-19 vaccine as the state delays rollout for people in jails and prisons statewide, city officials said Wednesday.
Correctional Health Services, which administers medical care at Rikers Island and other city jails, said more than 250 detainees have received the vaccine. There were 5,225 people held in New York City jails on Jan. 22, according to weekly reports published by the Board of Correction, which sets minimum standards for city jails.
At least 419 people currently behind bars have tested positive for COVID-19, including 36 who tested positive last week, the Board’s data shows.
The number of vaccinated inmates accounts for only about half of those authorized to receive their shots, based on information provided by Mayor Bill de Blasio at a press conference Wednesday. De Blasio said several eligible detainees had declined vaccines.
“My understanding is we had about 500 folks in our jails, inmates, who were authorized to be vaccinated because they were high risk and that has been moving along steadily,” de Blasio said. “We're fully authorized to do officers and certain inmates, but not all inmates is the last guidance I heard.”
The inmates authorized for vaccines qualify under state guidelines that enable people older than age 65 or with certain health conditions to receive their shots. New York state has not yet followed a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to prioritize detainees for vaccines.
Though Rikers Island has so far avoided a major resurgence of the virus like the wave of illness that struck inmates and staff in March, April and May, the coronavirus has surged behind bars at detention facilities statewide. Conditions remain ripe for a major outbreak in city jails, particularly as the inmate population reaches pre-pandemic levels, advocates warn.
The decision to vaccinate inmates rests with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Health Department, which creates the guidelines for towns and cities. The Legal Aid Society’s top criminal defense lawyer, Tina Luongo, urged Cuomo to follow the example of more than two dozen other states that have announced concrete plans for vaccinating inmates.
“As thousands of people continue to be infected in prisons and jails across the state and the preventable death toll mounts, the governor’s decision to exclude incarcerated people from vaccine access — despite acknowledging urgency of vaccinating other people in congregate settings — is inexplicable and inexcusable,” Luongo said. “This is a colossal failure of public policy and our clients deserve action now.”
Though inmates have mostly gone without the vaccine, hundreds of jail staff have been able to get their shots.
At least 530 Correctional Health Services staff members have received their first vaccine dose, CHS said.
Nearly 500 correction officers and other Department of Correction employees have also received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a message from Department of Correction Commissioner Cynthia Brann to commanding officers reviewed by the Eagle.
“The Department would like to thank CHS for its service and partnership in administering the first dose of COVID-19 vaccinations for nearly 500 DOC staff between January 12-22,” Brann wrote on Jan. 25
The third-party vendor Medrite took over vaccine rollout for jail staff on Jan. 24, Brann said.
Medrite will administer second doses of the vaccine to DOC employees inside a gymnasium at the George Motchan Detention Center on Thursdays and Sundays, Brann added.
More than 1,700 DOC staffers and 258 CHS employees have contracted COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to city data. That includes more than 40 who tested positive last week, Board of Correction reports show.
Brann instructed commanding officers to read information about vaccine safety and availability at 21 consecutive roll calls.
“The COVID-19 vaccine, which has been determined to be safe and effective by the FDA, is free and voluntary for staff, and we strongly encourage you to get vaccinated. There is no cost for the vaccine,” she wrote.
