As of March 1st, there had been 97 cases of Covid-19 in the prisoner population, of which 44 related to infections acquired in the community before the person arrived in prison. No prisoners have died as a result of the virus.There have been calls for both inmates and staff to receive priority access to vaccines given the confined nature of prisons and the often poor health of the prison population. said as of last Friday no prisoner had received a vaccine.
“Hundreds of people living in unstable situations cycle through the prison system each month, so there are sound practical reasons why the prison population should be prioritised to benefit wider public health,” she said. Ms Ní Chinnéide said it was “simply not good enough to lock people up in cells until they are vaccinated” and prison officers should also be prioritised.
A system was needed to make sure those who received their first dose in custody were able to receive their second dose in the community if they were released in the interval, she said. said it had written twice to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee but had yet to receive official confirmation of when its members would be vaccinated.
“You cannot always ensure social distancing [in prison]. The people in our care have poor health generally and, therefore, we should be a priority. We’re genuinely worried about this,” said POA assistant general secretary