Michigan prisons near ‘herd immunity,’ but coronavirus variant poses new threat
Updated Feb 22, 2021;
Posted Feb 20, 2021
Parnall Correctional Facility at 1780 E Parnall Road in Blackman Township. (J. Scott Park | Mlive.com) MLive Media GroupMLive Media Group
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Update: This story has been revised with additional information and clarification provided by MDOC spokesman Chris Gautz.
Nowhere in Michigan has the prevalence of the coronavirus been as pervasive as it is among the prison population.
The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) responded to rampant outbreaks with ongoing mass testing that reveals infection rates approaching what medical professionals refer to as herd immunity, the level of immunity that must exist before a virus has no available hosts and can die off.
According to an internal Michigan Department of Corrections email obtained by Michigan Radio, incarcerated people and employees there will now be tested daily.
“After discussions with MDHHS, it was determined this additional level of testing was necessary to protect prisoners, staff and the community,” the email says.
There are 1,678 incarcerated people and 406 employees at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility, according to the MDOC.
“As part of the state’s effort to limit the spread of this variant, the MDOC will be taking extra steps to identify where this variant is present amongst staff and the prisoner population,” the email says.
State of Michigan Attorney General
LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today announced John VanDeventer as her new chief legal counsel.
Prior to joining the Michigan Department of Attorney General, VanDeventer was employed by Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago where he served in the firm’s Restructuring and Bankruptcy Practice, focusing primarily on commercial bankruptcy. Before that he spent time working in Washington, D.C., for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which serves about 2 million members in health care, the public sector and property services. VanDeventer also worked on Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s re-election campaign and with the Michigan Corrections Organization, a local SEIU chapter that serves prison workers and others in Michigan.
Julie Dermansky for NPR
toggle caption Julie Dermansky for NPR
In March of 2020, Robbie Dennis was transferred to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola. The CDC first recommended that Americans wear masks on April 3; prisoners at Angola didn t receive them until June or July, Dennis says. Julie Dermansky for NPR
The equation for COVID-19 hot spots has been clear since the earliest days of the pandemic: Take facilities where people live in close quarters, then add conditions that make it hard to take preventive measures such as wearing personal protective equipment or keeping socially distant.
Major outbreaks in nursing homes this spring shocked the nation. Now, residents of those facilities are among the first in line for the vaccine.