Oregon will start vaccinating its prison population against COVID-19 after a federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the state’s prison population should be prioritized, Oregon Live reported.
The decision takes prisoners to phase 1a, group 2 of vaccine implementation, giving them the same priority of access as those living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Previously, only employees of correctional institutions were included in this category, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
“Our constitutional rights are not suspended during a crisis,” wrote Stacie Beckerman, a federal judge, in Tuesday’s opinion, The New York Times reported. “On the contrary, in difficult times we must remain the most vigilant to protect the constitutional rights of the impotent. Even when faced with limited resources, the state must fulfill its duty to protect those in custody.”
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
Kate BrownOvernight Health Care: Biden unveils vaccine plan focusing on mass inoculations | Coronavirus deaths worldwide exceed 2 million | CDC: New variant may be the dominant strain in the US in March. Governors say no additional doses of vaccine are coming, despite the promise of the Trump administrator. At least 6 Republican lawmakers participated in Trump-inspired protests MORE (D) said he will not fight against the order.
“The court’s decision is clear and the state has decided not to appeal,” Charles Boyle, a spokesman for the governor’s office, told The Hill on Wednesday.
Boyle noted that most of the inmates fell into phase 1b before the court order.
“With the court’s decision demanding an accelerated schedule and making it clear that vaccines should be offered to adults in custody with Phase 1a prioritization, we will move forward with a weekly approach that will integrate adults in custody into our Phase 1a distribution plans,” he said .
Boyle said that the inclusion of approximately 12,000 inmates should not influence the distribution of the vaccine to others, including educators and the elderly, but, ultimately, “it depends on the weekly supply of vaccine we receive from the federal government.”
Brown was previously criticized for his pressure to vaccinate educators, prioritizing them over Oregon’s elderly, Fox News reported.
Brown defended his actions in a tweet, writing, “My decision to vaccinate Oregon educators, school staff and childcare providers is simple: I’m using all the tools we have to get our kids back into the classroom this year. school. “
My decision to vaccinate Oregon educators, school staff and childcare providers is simple: I’m using all the tools we have to get our kids back into the classroom this school year.
– Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) January 23, 2021
Brown had promised in a January 27 tweet that all category 1a citizens would be vaccinated by February 8 – a deadline that appears to remain in effect.
Other counties have done a fantastic job and completed their first round of vaccines for Phase 1a populations, and we will endeavor to give the first doses to all Phase 1a individuals across the state before February 8.
– Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) January 27, 2021
According to Oregon Live, 3,392 COVID-19 cases have been reported and 42 deaths have been confirmed in Oregon state prisons since the pandemic began.