Are jail inmates getting the vaccine?

South Florida jail inmates are starting to get access to the COVID19 vaccine, but the lack of a statewide plan means availability varies widely.

For several weeks, Broward County has been offering COVID19 shots to eligible inmates. Fortytwo inmates had received the vaccine as of March 26, said Gerdy St. Louis, a spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff ’s Office.

Meanwhile, in Palm Beach County, no inmates have been vaccinated. Alexander Shaw, a spokesman for Palm Beach County’s health department, said a state strike team will vaccinate jail inmates, but officials haven’t offered additional details or a timetable as to when that will occur.

The issue prompted a Twitter fight between two Palm Beach County elected officials, and leaders there appear to be unsure as to who is responsible for vaccinating jail inmates.

State Rep. Omari Hardy, D-West Palm Beach, said local officials have the authority to vaccinate inmates under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive orders, but Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay says the state-run county health department needs state approval to allocate doses to the jail.

“Every week, I ask about vaccinating the incarcerated, and every week I get the runaround,” Hardy tweeted. “I hope that the County, DOH [Department of Health], and the Sheriff have a real plan to get doses into the jail ASAP. But I’ll believe it when I see it and rejoice when I do.”

McKinlay wrote in a message to Hardy that local officials aren’t the reason why jail inmates aren’t getting access to vaccines: “Im over you blaming local electeds. These decisions are made by the STATE. And don’t assume it wasn’t requested.”

The Florida Department of Health isn’t offering clarity. A spokesman there has not responded to questions from the South Florida Sun Sentinel on the issue. Florida doesn’t have a published statewide plan outlining the process for vaccinating jail inmates.

A similar story is playing out elsewhere in Florida. While a handful of inmates in Orange and Seminole counties have gotten shots, jail officials in Osceola, Pinellas, Polk and Lake counties haven’t vaccinated inmates.

About 100 inmates in Miami-Dade County received vaccinations in late March. Community Health of South Florida, a federally qualified health center, donated the doses.

Jails and prisons — where social distancing is impossible and inmates live in crowded quarters — have been hard hit by the COVID19 pandemic and have been identified as sources of community spread.

About 80,000 people are incarcerated in state prisons in Florida, and about another 52,000 are in local jails, according to statistics kept by the Florida Department of Corrections. Nearly 18,000 state prisoners have contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic, and 213 have died, the agency’s dashboard shows.

The Corrections Department has requested vaccine doses, but it has not received any to date. DeSantis has said the “law-abiding population” would be prioritized ahead of prisoners.

More than 29,000 federal prisoners have been fully vaccinated across the country, according to statistics from the federal Bureau of Prisons.