Oregon will begin vaccinating its inmate populations against COVID-19 after a federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the state’s prison population should be a priority, Oregon Live reported.
The ruling puts inmates into Phase 1a, Group 2 of the vaccine rollout, giving them the same priority access as those living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Previously, only employees of correctional facilities were included in this category, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
“Our constitutional rights are not suspended during a crisis,” Stacie Beckerman, a federal magistrate judge, wrote in her opinion Tuesday, The New York Times reported. “On the contrary, in troubled times we must remain most vigilant to protect the constitutional rights of the powerless. Even when dealing with limited resources, the state must fulfill its duty to protect those in custody.”
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
Kate BrownOvernight Health Care: Biden Unveils Vaccine Plan Focusing on Mass Immunization | More than 2 million deaths worldwide from coronavirus | CDC: New Variant Could Be Dominant US Strain By March Governors Say No Additional Vaccine Doses Will Be Coming Despite Trump Administrator’s Promise At least 6 GOP lawmakers took part in Trump-inspired protests MORE (D) said she will not fight the order.
“The court’s decision is clear, and the state has decided not to appeal,” Charles Boyle, a spokesman for the governor’s office, told The Hill on Wednesday.
Boyle noted that the majority of the prisoners fell in favor of the stage 1b court order.
“As the court ruling requires an accelerated timeline and clarifies that vaccinations should be offered to adults in custody with Phase 1a prioritization, we will continue with a weekly approach that will integrate adults in custody into our Phase 1a distribution plans”, he said. .
Boyle said the admission of the approximately 12,000 inmates is not expected to affect the distribution of vaccines to others, including educators and seniors, but ultimately “depends on the weekly vaccine supplies we receive from the federal government.”
Brown had previously been criticized for her attempt to get educators vaccinated, prioritizing Oregon over the elderly, Fox News reported.
Brown defended her actions in a tweet, writing, “My decision to vaccinate Oregon teachers, school staff, and daycare providers is simple: I’m using every tool we have to get our kids back in the classroom this school year.”
My decision to vaccinate the teachers, school staff, and childcare workers of Oregon is simple: I will use every resource we have to get our children back in the classroom this school year.
– Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) January 23, 2021
Brown previously vowed in a Jan. 27 tweet to have all Category 1a citizens vaccinated by Feb. 8 – a deadline that appears to remain in place.
Other counties have done a fantastic job of completing their first round of vaccination for Phase 1a populations, and we will push for the first doses to be given to all Phase 1a individuals statewide by Feb. 8.
– Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) January 27, 2021
According to Oregon Live, 3,392 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded and 42 deaths have been confirmed in Oregon state prisons since the start of the pandemic.