HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health says inmates in the province's jails are expected to begin receiving their first doses of vaccine "within the next week." Dr. Robert Strang said Monday that information on the procedures was being sent to corrections staff, as jails are considered priority locations during the province's expanded vaccine rollout. His comments followed a news release by advocacy groups noting a rise in the number of people in custody and saying prisoners have suffered due to indefinite lockdowns and solitary confinement caused by the pandemic. The provincial Justice Department said in an email that there are currently 383 people in custody, while earlier releases indicated that before the pandemic there were about 440 people detained.