When Might Any Florida Inmate Receive A COVID-19 Vaccine? By Lyric Lighty February 16, 2021 Thomas Chambers doesn’t want to die in prison. He’s right now serving the last 19 months of a 2018 prison sentence for robbery, and until a year ago, the 55-year-old inmate didn’t consider his life might end in the Marion Correctional Institute in Ocala. But paired with his Type 2 diabetes, the increased vulnerability to the worst outcomes from COVID-19 has him worried. Even as the number of available vaccines increases, Florida inmates are unsure if and when they will have the opportunity to be vaccinated. Chambers said all at-risk individuals should be prioritized for the vaccine whether they’re in prison or the free world. That’s a pipe dream for now, according to information from prison officials and activists.