Coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal justice and immigration.
This week, Florida expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to all residents 16 and older. But across the state, more than 70,000 people still don’t have access to the vaccine. Those men and women are Florida state prisoners.
More than half the country has opened up vaccine eligibility, vastly expanding the ability for most Americans to get the shot, despite their age or any preexisting medical conditions. But inside prisons, it’s a different story: Prisoners, not free to seek out vaccines, still lack access to them on the whole.
Nationwide, fewer than 20% of state and federal prisoners have been vaccinated according to data collected by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press. In some states, prisoners and advocates have resorted to lawsuits to get access. And even when prisoners are eligible, they aren’t receiving important education about the vaccine.
As states expand vaccines, prisoners still lack access
By KATIE PARK and ARIEL GOODMAN of The Marshall Project and KIMBERLEE KRUESI of The Associated Press April 6, 2021 GMT
This week, Florida expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to all residents 16 and older. But across the state, more than 70,000 people still don’t have access to the vaccine. Those men and women are Florida state prisoners.
More than half the country has opened up vaccine eligibility, vastly expanding the ability for most Americans to get the shots, whatever their age or medical conditions. But inside prisons, it’s a different story: Prisoners, not free to seek out vaccines, still lack access on the whole.
COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expands nationwide, but prisoners continue to lack access
Updated 7:46 AM;
Today 7:46 AM
FILE - In this March 31, 2021, file photo, a nurse fills a syringe with a dose of Johnson & Johnson s COVID-19 vaccine in Uniondale, N.Y. Roughly half the country has opened up vaccine eligibility beyond initial restrictions, vastly expanding the ability for most Americans to get a shot in the arm despite their age or any pre-existing medical conditions. But inside prisons, it’s a different story prisoners, not free to seek out vaccines, still on the whole lack access. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)AP
This week, Florida expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to all residents 16 and older. But across the state, more than 70,000 people still donât have access to the vaccine. Those men and women are Florida state prisoners.
More than half the country has opened up vaccine eligibility, vastly expanding the ability for most Americans to get the shots, whatever their age or medical conditions. But inside prisons, itâs a different story: Prisoners, not free to seek out vaccines, still lack access on the whole.
Nationwide, less than 20% of state and federal prisoners have been vaccinated, according to data collected by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press. In some states, prisoners and advocates have resorted to lawsuits to get access. And even when they are eligible, they arenât receiving important education about the vaccine.
In some facilities, basic supplies like soap and toilet paper have been scarce, and mask-wearing is inconsistently enforced among both prisoners and guards. Prisoners spend time in communal spaces, and open-bar cells do little to contain the virus. Prisoners describe entire dormitories being sick with COVID-19 symptoms.
Some prisoners hesitate to report symptoms out of fear they will be placed in solitary confinement and not receive proper care. Others report waiting days for medical care, sometimes being turned away or provided only with aspirin.
And the vaccine rollout has been uneven, despite guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that states should prioritize correction staff and people in prisons and jails. By the end of March, Arkansas and Florida had not yet begun vaccinating prisoners, while a few states say they have offered vaccination to every adult in their prisons. Eight states have not reported how many prisoners have been vaccinated.