About half of the Santa Clara County sheriff’s employees have refused vaccination

About half of the Santa Clara County Sheriff Office employees have refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, meaning dozens of employees are working in prisons without being vaccinated, according to the office.

Although 861 of the department’s more than 1,800 employees have received both doses of the vaccine, nearly 800 more have refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine, sheriff officials reported Thursday at the public safety and security committee meeting. justice. Another 200 employees are not yet eligible.

The high number of denials caused provincial regulators to falter on Thursday, especially as the number of people in custody infected has risen more than 500 since the start of the new year. Of the workers who refused the vaccine, about 400 work in the custody department.

“I’m a little speechless,” said County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg. “We cannot significantly reduce or eliminate outbreaks in prisons if people come into prison every day who have not been vaccinated.”

According to the sheriff’s office reporting dashboard, at least 536 district inmates have been given COVID-19 since the beginning of 2021. In early January, prisons reported 36 and 35 new cases in the same week, the two highest one-day totals on record. The dashboard has not been updated since January 18.

Sheriff Laurie Smith said, “There are many reasons” why staff have refused the vaccine. Some have cited medical reasons, while others work in the graveyard which the office says is difficult to make an appointment. A spokesman for a union of deputies did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

“The fundamental question is whether we need it – and if not, what can we do?” Smith said.

The answer is not yet legally clear, said County Executive Jeff Smith. For now, sheriff officials have told unvaccinated deputies to wear N-95 masks; Trapped people are given cloth masks.

However, Jeff Smith pushed back on the office’s claim that vaccination coverage is due to logistical issues.

“The biggest problem is people are refusing the vaccine,” said Jeff Smith. “It’s not that there is no access.”

The lower vaccination coverage contrasts with other public security services in the area. According to a city report at the time, as early as January 12, about 71% of San Jose fire department personnel, including emergency medical responders and paramedics, had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

As of January 14, the city’s front-line workers in custody, law enforcement officers, and 911 dispatchers were expected to receive their first doses of the vaccine and firefighters to receive their second dose. The city declined to provide updated statistics to this news organization on Thursday.

County Public Defender Molly O’Neal said in a text message Friday that her office would be “happy” to take vaccines that are being refused by sheriff’s staff because “we badly need them, want them and we believe in the science.” Last week, dozens of defenders called into the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors meeting to request to be vaccinated or signed a letter calling for the same.

“Any guards who refuse to be vaccinated should be removed from prison as a danger to detainees,” O’Neal added.

Ellenberg called for “proactive education” or a town hall so that delegates can ask questions or process their fears in the coming weeks.

“For the thousands of people who remain in custody, it is up to us to protect and protect them,” said Ellenberg. “To the extent that staff does not contribute to their safety by refusing to be vaccinated, we must take additional measures to protect those who have no choice.”