Ayanna Pressley calls for inmates to be prioritised for Covid vaccine

‘Covid-19 is rampant in our prisons, jails, and detention centers,’ argued Massachusetts congresswoman

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley has called for inmates to be prioritised as coronavirus vaccines start to be rolled out to Americans.

She argued that inmates should receive vaccine doses as soon as possible, as Covid-19 continues to spread among the prison population, and shared an op-ed that called on politicians to do so.

Studies have shown that Covid-19 mortality rates among prisoners are two times higher than in the general population, while reported cases are four times higher.

But authorities have not prioritised the country’s 2.2 inmates to receive doses, as vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna are approved.

“Covid-19 is rampant in our prisons, jails, and detention centers,” wrote Ms Pressley on Twitter on Tuesday. “Incarcerated individuals must be prioritised once a vaccine is available.”

The congressman, who was elected two years ago, shared an NBC News op-ed titled “Covid-19 vaccine distribution must prioritise prisoners. The virus is killing more of them”.

It was written by activist Ashish Prashar and DeAna Hoskins, the president and CEO at JustLeadershipUSA, a non-profit dedicated to reducing the United States’ prison population.

“Allocating precious medical resources to people who are serving time may be anathema to much of the public, but elected officials must show some backbone by protecting this highly vulnerable population,” the op-ed argued.

The article went on to say that prisoners were unable to social distance or isolate – even though US government guidance suggests people do so, to stop the spread of coronavirus.

“For Covid-19, prisons, jails and other detention centers are arguably the worst environment to be living in. These populations are uniquely vulnerable to the virus,” said the op-ed.

“Meanwhile, supplies such as soap and masks are scarce, while testing is inadequate. If all of that isn't bad enough, those who contract the virus often land in solitary confinement because prisons have nowhere else to quarantine them.”

Only prison workers were due to recieve vaccines in a prisons bureau roll-out that began on Tuesday, that was announced last month.

Prisons bureau statistics say 5,994 prisoners and 1,676 prisons staff have now tested positive with the coronavirus since the pandemic began.

According to Forbes, the latest statistics mean that approximately 2,300 cases have been confirmed among inmates in the past month alone.