PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Department of Corrections data shows that more inmates than staff in the Pennsylvania state prison system are vaccinated against COVID-19. The DOC says that's because inmates are a priority population.
The DOC dashboard on vaccinations and case numbers (page 8) lists every State Corrections Institute, the number of inmates and staff, and who is vaccinated and who is not.
The dashboard shows that 75% of all inmates are vaccinated, about 1% are partially vaccinated, and 24% are not vaccinated at all.
It also shows that just over 21% of prison staff are fully vaccinated, and 78% are not. A fraction of a percent are partially vaccinated. The dashboard says staff are not required to report protected health information.
"Everyone knows that prisons are breeding grounds for infectious diseases like COVID-19, largely because inmates live so close together," the DOC says in an official statement. "By any reasonable standard, incarcerated people should rank high on the priority list, because when outbreaks occur inside prisons, they can endanger people on the outside, too. Prison staff members can carry the virus to their family members and ultimately the community."
Two state prisons are in Southeastern Pennsylvania; SCI Phoenix and SCI Chester. There are currently two active COVID-19 cases among inmates at Phoenix, while Chester has none.
However, Phoenix reports five active staff COVID-19 cases, and Chester reports four.
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The DOC is offering a $25 incentive to inmates who get vaccinated. The money comes from the Inmate General Welfare Fund, not taxpayer dollars. In a statement, the DOC said it has been vocal in offering a financial incentive for prison staff to get vaccinated, but incentives vary across each of the 23 state prisons.
However, the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association, the union representing prison guards, said there was no financial incentive offered to prison guards to get the coronavirus vaccine.
In fact, union President John Eckenrode said one prison superintendent was reprimanded for giving out comp time to guards who got the vaccine.
Eckenrode also said the vaccine data is inaccurate. He said the DOC was offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine inside prisons to inmates and staff at the beginning of the year. But when J&J was linked to blood clots, the in-house vaccines stopped.
He said “plenty” of staff and corrections officers have been vaccinated since then — outside the prison — but it is not mandatory to report it to the DOC. So, he said, the dashboard data is incorrect.
DOC Secretary John Wetzel says in-person visitation rules will be based on inmate vaccination rates, and COVID-19 cases among the inmate population. The DOC does not mention anything about how many staff must be vaccinated in order for in-person visitations to resume. None of the five DOC facilities that have been re-opened for in-person visitation is in Southeastern Pennsylvania.