Posted: Jan 07, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: January 7
A exterior view of Joyceville Institution in Kingston, Ont., on Dec. 17, 2020. As the federal government prepares to start vaccinating 600 of the most vulnerable federal inmates across the country, researchers say it s worthy pilot project. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press)
Posted: Jan 07, 2021 9:28 AM ET | Last Updated: January 7
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit declared an outbreak of COVID-19 at both the Thunder Bay District Jail and the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre on January 6, after an inmate that had spent time at both institutions tested positive for the respiratory disease earlier in the week.(CBC News)
After an inmate in a Thunder Bay correctional facility tested positive for COVID-19, leading to the declaration of a COVID-19 outbreak at two facilities in the city late Wednesday evening, calls for a plan to vaccinate inmates and staff at correctional facilities have grown.
However, the provincial government has been unable to provide details thus far on when or how those vaccinations may occur.
TORONTO Premier Doug Ford is slamming the federal government’s decision to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to some inmates before inoculating all long-term care home residents, as part of a pilot program starting this week. Ford made the remarks on Wednesday during his first COVID-19 press conference of the year at Pearson Airport. “Let s not give the most dangerous criminals in our country the vaccine before we give it to our long-term care patients, most vulnerable and other elderly people,” Ford said. “I encourage the federal government, I encourage the Prime Minister, stop it. It is not good,” he added.
OTTAWA Starting Friday, hundreds of federal inmates will begin to receive COVID-19 vaccines as part of a pilot project, according to the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO). Itâs a move thatâs sparked debate among federal and provincial politicians about who is being prioritized in the early stages of the mass vaccination campaign. As part of this initial vaccine rollout, 1,200 doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be delivered to prisons across the country. In all, 600 inmates will receive vaccinations, with each inmate getting the required two doses over a few weeks. The Moderna vaccine will be used for this immunization effort.