NY Prisons Start Vaccinating Inmates With Pre-Existing Conditions

 New York state prisons quietly started offering COVID-19 vaccines to people in their custody with pre-existing health conditions on Friday, nearly three weeks after that group became eligible in the general population. In a statement, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said it waited until everyone who was over 65 who wanted the vaccine got their second dose.

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office and his Department of Health have dragged their feet on inoculating people incarcerated in state prison since the shots became available in December, despite calls to prioritize this vulnerable population. The coronavirus has ravaged jails and prisons since the start of the pandemic. As of March 2nd, there were 5,948 coronavirus cases confirmed in state prisons and 34 deaths

“We are glad that that’s happening, but it’s simply not good enough,” Elizabeth Fischer, a lawyer with the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, said of the move to offer shots to those with pre-existing conditions.

Her law firm is among the public defenders' offices that filed a class-action lawsuit against the state on February 4th on behalf of inmates on Rikers Island. The lawsuit aims to change state policy, which dictates vaccine eligibility.

“Because of how COVID-19 is transmitted, individuals living and working in congregate settings—such as jails and prisons—are at higher risk for COVID-19 exposure and infection,” the complaint in the lawsuit reads.

It was only after the lawsuit was filed that the state lifted its ban and provided shots to inmates over the age of 65. Federal prisons had started their vaccination effort in late December, and New York City jails began a similar program in early January. The staff in state prisons also started receiving doses months ago and 7,439 have been vaccinated to date.

So far, 822 of the 1,066 seniors in state prisons have accepted their shots, according to DOCCS. Another 3,575 incarcerated people with pre-existing conditions will now be offered the shots.

In a statement, DOCCS said, “The state’s singular goal is and has been to get as many New Yorkers vaccinated as quickly as possible, and DOCCS has been working with NYS DOH to do the same with the incarcerated population.”

Public defenders aren’t the only ones who have called on the state to make this policy change. The American Medical Association made the recommendation in December. Last month, a broad coalition of health care professionals and advocates sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo urging him to change course.

“The public health basis for prioritizing vaccine access in prisons and jails is clear,” the letter said. “By their very nature as congregate facilities, they are hotbeds for the spread of disease. The most basic precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19—social distancing, personal protective equipment (PPE), regular handwashing and disinfection cleaning—are not available to people in correctional facilities.”

New York has already opened up universal vaccination for others living in congregate settings such as residents of group homes run by the Office of Mental Health.

“There’s no reason beyond politics and animus toward incarcerated people to be drawing these kinds of distinctions and only making certain groups of incarcerated people eligible for the vaccine,” Fischer said. “The state has a moral and legal obligation to be vaccinating all incarcerated people.”

https://gothamist.com/news/ny-prisons-start-vaccinating-inmates-pre-existing-conditions