Inmates, prison staff to get Covid-19 vaccine

Correctional services staff and prison inmates are to receive Covid-19 vaccinations.

Correctional services minister Ronald Lamola said on Tuesday the government was obliged to provide vaccinations for both officials and inmates to prevent outbreaks.

The decision came after the World Health Organisation (WHO) observed that, compared to the wider community, people living in prisons had a disproportionally higher burden of comorbidities, including non-communicable diseases, which increased inmates’ chances of suffering severe outcomes from Covid-19.

“It is against this background that we are rolling out the vaccination programme in correctional services,” said Lamola.

Since the launch of the programme on Monday, 2 569 inmates across the country were vaccinated.

Employees of the department, irrespective of age, were allowed to get the vaccination at any site without having to self-register on the electronic vaccine data system (EVDS) since July 15.

To date, 1 325 healthcare professionals in correctional services, 1 899 correctional officials and 61 educators in corrections were vaccinated.

Lamola said the department had a duty towards people in custody, especially as correctional centres were high-risk environments for infectious disease outbreaks such as Covid.

“Correctional centres are generally overcrowded,” he said.

“As a result, non-pharmaceutical interventions such as masks, have their limitations, and people in correctional centres have contact with a large staff pool.”

He said the Covid-19 pandemic has also affected correctional centres’ ability to function.

“It has heightened the risk of infections spreading outside such centres through interactions between officials and communities, court visits, hospital admissions…”

Ministry of justice and correctional services spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said officials were being vaccinated in public and private vaccination sites across the country.

Vaccination of inmates will take place at 90 approved vaccination sites at correctional centres across the country.

“Both officials and inmates are encouraged to get vaccinated.”

Minister @RonaldLamola is inoculated with Covid vaccine following screening and verification processes at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre pic.twitter.com/YLI02rRSEN

— Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services 🇿🇦 (@Min_JCS) July 20, 2021

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