As virus spreads, prisoners worry they re not being considered in vaccine distribution plans
Posted at 10:48 AM, Dec 31, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-31 13:48:38-05
As thousands of Americans get the COVID-19 vaccine, prisoners are worried they are being overlooked, even though they live in environments prone to large outbreaks.
âI mean Iâm sure everyone in here is worried about it,â said David Hurt, a 54-year-old inmate at the Mountain View Correctional Institute in North Carolina.
Hurt has three months left in his 22-year sentence before he can return to his wife and child, but as an immunocompromised man, he worries any contact with COVID-19 could be life-threatening.
Study: 1 in 5 U.S. Prisoners Have Contracted Coronavirus
The ongoing pandemic, which has entered its tenth month, has infected at least 275,000 prisoners nationwide, with more than 1,700 dying from the disease.
One in every five state and federal prisoners in the United States have contracted the coronavirus a rate that is about four times higher than the general population, according to data collected by the Associated Press and the Marshall Project.
The ongoing pandemic, which has entered its tenth month, has infected at least 275,000 prisoners nationwide, with more than 1,700 dying from the disease.
The data further revealed that some states have been hit harder than others. For example, in Kansas, half of the prisoners have contracted the virus, which is eight times the rate of the state’s general population. Eleven of the prisoners have died.
Massachusetts inmates to be among the first to get COVID-19 vaccines
By Associated Press
(Photo by Giles Clarke/Getty Images)
BOSTON - Massachusetts inmates will be some of the first to get the coronavirusvaccines after health care workers, emergency medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities get vaccinated.
Tens of thousands of inmates will be offered the shots ahead of home health aides, seniors and medically vulnerable residents, joining people who live in homeless shelters and other congregate settings who will be vaccinated by the end of February, The New York Times reported. We used equity as a core principle in our recommendations, said Dr. Simone Wildes, an infectious disease specialist and a member of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine advisory group. We have had a lot of cases of COVID in the prisons, and we wanted to make sure those at highest risk were getting the vaccine first.
Fox News medical contributor joins The Story to discuss the timeline for vaccine distribution
Massachusetts inmates will be some of the first to get the coronavirus vaccines after health care workers, emergency medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities get vaccinated.
Tens of thousands of inmates will be offered the shots ahead of home health aides, seniors and medically vulnerable residents, joining people who live in homeless shelters and other congregate settings who will be vaccinated by the end of February, The New York Times reported. We used equity as a core principle in our recommendations, said Dr. Simone Wildes, an infectious disease specialist and a member of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine advisory group. We have had a lot of cases of COVID in the prisons, and we wanted to make sure those at highest risk were getting the vaccine first.
Robotic pets, Washington Monument, senators vaccinated: News from around our 50 states From USA TODAY Network and wire reports, USA TODAY
Alabama
Auburn: Auburn University’s nursing school is publishing a free book to tell the stories of some of its alumni and their work during the coronavirus pandemic. Titled “Auburn Nursing – Living the Creed During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” the book includes stories of Auburn-educated nurses who worked both in their hometowns and places including New York to care for COVID-19 patients. The stories show the difficulty of working in an overwhelming situation, said nursing dean Gregg Newschwander. “At Auburn, we often say, we make leaders,” he said in a statement. “In this book, you will see how true that is.” The university statement said the nursing school marked its 40th anniversary during the 2019-20 academic year, and stories began coming in about the work being done by Auburn alumni during the pandemic. The ann