Elderly, ailing will be first Mich. prisoners to get vaccine

Michigan prison staff and prisoners who are elderly or ailing are among those set to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during the initial phases of the state’s plan, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Outbreaks of COVID-19 have ravaged prisons across the state, infecting roughly onequarter of Michigan Department of Corrections staff and almost half of people incarcerated during the pandemic.

Under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services plan, the first phase of vaccine distribution is divided into three groups:

Phase 1A: People working in health care settings who have exposure to patients or infectious materials, as well as residents of longterm care facilities, such as nursing homes and assisted living centers.

Phase 1B: Essential workers in critical inh dustries. This includes workers in K-12 schools, prisons, jails, juvenile justice facilities, homeless shelters, congregate child care settings and critical infrastructure sectors, as well as workers with unique skill sets in other industries.

Phase 1C: People 65 or older, as well as h people 16 or older with any of the following medical conditions: COPD, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, obesity or other conditions that put them at high risk of a negative COVID-19 outcome.

Chris Gautz, Department of Corrections spokesman, said prisoners who qualify will fall under phase 1C. He said 1,692 prisoners are age 65 or older. The department is still evaluating the number of prisoners who meet the qualifications for medical conditions, but Gautz said it’s estimated to be many as 10,000.

All other prisoners will fall under phase two of the plan, which is when the vaccine will be offered to the general public.

MDHHS says the phases will likely overlap. Health care workers began receiving the vaccine Monday.

MDOC has reported 19,567 prisoner COVID-19 cases and 102 deaths as of Tuesday. The department has tested 39,832 prisoners throughout the pandemic. As of Friday, the population at the state’s 29 facilities was roughly 33,800. The department says 7,769 prisoner cases are active.

Across the state, 2,559 of roughly 10,000 corrections employees have tested positive. Three employees have died.

Advocates for prisoners said they’re glad the state is placing priority on elderly incarcerated people and those at risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Natalie Holbrook, program director of the American Friends Service Committee’s Michigan Criminal Justice Program, said she anticipates “huge resistance” from prisoners who question whether the vaccine is safe or feel as if they’re being experimented on.

“I think there’s gonna be a really important uphill battle to public education,” Holbrook said. “I’ve heard it from people inside (prison) about the flu vaccine and COVID, that they don’t trust vaccinations because they don’t trust the state.”

Gautz said the department is planning to survey prisoners and staff this week to ask if they want to get the vaccine.

Byron Osborn, president of the Michigan Corrections Organization representing 6,000 corrections officers, said the union’s membership includes a “mixed bag” of those who want the vaccine and others who have reservations.

Osborn referred to news of vaccines as a “light at the end of the tunnel” after a challenging year in which COVID-19 outbreaks have exacerbated staffing shortages in prisons.

“Our folks are just exhausted,” he said. “They’re getting mandated to work double shifts multiple times a week. They’re away from their families. They’re not getting any sleep. Everything compounds.”