Hamilton correctional officers still in line for COVID-19 vaccine

As vaccinations get underway for inmates at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre (HWDC), public health officials say correctional staff will soon get “an invite” to book their shots at one of the city’s mass vaccination sites.

In an email to The Spectator, Hamilton public health spokesperson James Berry confirmed that a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for inmates at the Barton Street jail started Thursday and was scheduled to run through Saturday.

James said any leftover shots will be offered to eligible staff, but there would likely be “limited doses as (public health) staff are careful to manage vaccine(s) in such a way to ensure residual doses are minimized.”

As for individual appointments, James said Thursday evening that eligible staff will get an email from the province in the coming days with “an invite” to book a vaccine appointment at one of the city’s mass vaccination clinics.

However, the head of the union representing correctional officers in Hamilton said there is still no clarity on when those appointments will actually happen.

“Those appointments could be three weeks from now,” said Geoff Vanderdeen, president of OPSEU Local 248, in an interview Friday.

“We shouldn’t have a wait time and if there is a wait time, there should be a definitive timeline.”

The news of coming appointments came shortly after the head of the union representing corrections workers in Ontario called on the province to order Hamilton public health officials to open up COVID-19 vaccinations to its members as soon as possible.

It also came roughly a month after a handful of correctional officers in Hamilton were “mistakenly” vaccinated and others were turned away after booking appointments and waiting hours in line.

In a statement Thursday, OPSEU president Warren Thomas said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones “needs to make it clear” to public health officials that correctional officers across Ontario “must be a provincial priority” when it comes to vaccinations.

“These are front-line heroes who have risked their lives every day during this pandemic. The behaviour of (Hamilton public health) is egregious,” said Thomas.

The union also called on the province to provide on-site vaccinations for correctional officers at the jails themselves — which isn’t happening in Hamilton.

“Why isn’t it all happening at once?” asked Vanderdeen.

“They should (vaccinate) us at the same time or before.”

As they wait for official appointments, Vanderdeen said correctional officers are still at risk of getting sick and infecting others as they are in close contact with inmates.

He noted that correctional officers are often the “first” to respond to medical emergencies as well as fights in the jail.

They wear personal protective equipment, such as masks and goggles, but transmission still happens, said Vanderdeen pointing to a recent outbreak at the jail which saw at least 53 inmates and 20 staff infected with the virus.

“We’re the ones giving Narcan, we’re the ones performing CPR, we’re in close contact with the inmates all the time,” said Vanderdeen.

Vanderdeen said correctional officers are also still out in the community and could “potentially” bring the virus into the facility. Aside from going to work, staff are still out buying groceries and going home to their families everyday.

And with the variants of concern — all three of which have been detected in the city — the risk has increased.

“It’s infuriating,” Vanderdeen said, noting that he had not received an email invite as of Friday morning. “We shouldn’t be waiting.”

The delay on vaccinations for correctional officers is “a question of public safety,” said OPSEU first vice-president Eduardo Almeida in a release.

“Unless Hamilton public health officials think we should open virtual jails, they must vaccinate corrections staff immediately,” said Almeida.