Forty percent of inmates in the California state penitentiary system have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, even though the state as a whole is rolling out vaccines much more slowly for the general population.
According to the latest statistics, posted by the New York Times14% of California residents have received “at least one shot” of the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine created by Pfizer as part of Operation Warp Speed requires a two-injection regimen to be fully effective.
In contrast, 40% of prisoners in the state have been vaccinated, according to the Los Angeles Times
About 40% of people held in custody by the California correction system have received the COVID-19 vaccine, a figure praised by prison lawyers who say only a fraction of the state vaccine is needed to make a population. protect which one of the most vulnerable to the virus.
Statewide, 211 inmates and 26 correctional personnel have died as a result of complications related to COVID-19. Social detachment is difficult in crowded environments such as prisons, and the virus has many chances of getting in as staff come and go.
On Feb. 8, 76% of all inmates within CDCR had either received at least one dose of the vaccine or were infected with the virus, according to an application filed as part of enforcement proceedings for Plata vs. News, a long-running lawsuit against the state of California related to access to medical care in prisons.
The Los Angeles Times adds that 70% of inmates who received the vaccine have taken it.
Last year, San Quentin State Prison suffered an outbreak of the coronavirus, reportedly as a result of a decision to move infected inmates from one facility to another. Prisoners are considered a high priority population for vaccination due to the difficulty of social distance in prison.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and host of Breitbart News Sunday at Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential ElectionHis recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship 2018. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak