Vaccination of inmates ‘progressing well’

SENIOR citizens within the prison population have not been forgotten in the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine.

According to the Department of Correctional Services, 537 inmates aged over 60 have received their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

In addition, 90 officials aged older than 60 also received their first doses.

Department spokesperson Sechaba Mphahlele said they continued to implement measures to mitigate the spread of the virus in an effort to protect officials, inmates and the general public.

The department has suspended visits to all correctional and remand detention centres across the country.

Mphahlele said apart from the elderly inmates and officials who have registered, health-care workers also received their first jab.

The roll-out is monitored through the department’s Vaccination Roll-out Co-ordinating Committee, which comprises health-care officials from head office and all regions.

As of June 24, 797 health-care professionals, amounting to 77.9% of the total Correctional Services health-care workers, had already received their vaccines.

“We remain committed to ensuring that inmates receive their Covid19 vaccinations in order to achieve population immunity in correctional facilities,” Mphahlele said.

He added that the department continued to implement and adhere to protocols, in line with the correctional service’s standard operating procedures for the preparedness, detection and response to the virus.

As of June 24, the department had 322 Covid-19 active cases, comprising 282 officials and 40 inmates. This translates to 0.61% of officials and 0.03% of inmates.

The cumulative total of positive cases to date is 12 345 (7 820 officials and 4 525 inmates). The number of recoveries total 11761, which translates to a recovery rate of 95.27%.

There have been 260 Covid-19 related deaths, 182 of which are officials and 78 inmates.

Mphahlele said the department was ready for the roll-out of the next phase of vaccinations. “To date, we have 90 approved sites for vaccination. This will enable the vaccination of the 138828 inmates currently incarcerated. Officials and inmates are being reached through awareness campaigns on the importance of vaccination throughout all regions.”

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said it was important for inmates to get vaccinated. This was in line with the Nelson Mandela Rules, part of which stipulated that inmates should enjoy the same standards of health-care available in the community.

“Inmates are also vulnerable to infection, and their vaccination will ensure protection of both correctional officials and the general public.”