Initial SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Uptake in a Correctional Setting: Cross-sectional Study

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Abstract

Background

The largest outbreaks of COVID-19 in the United States have occurred in correctional facilities, and little is known about the feasibility and acceptability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine campaigns among incarcerated people.

Objective

The aim of this study was to describe a statewide vaccination program among incarcerated people and staff working in a prison setting.

Methods

Between December 2020 and February 2021, the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) offered the opportunity for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination to all correctional staff and sentenced individuals. Two RIDOC public health educators provided education on the vaccine, answered questions, and obtained consent before the vaccine clinic day for the incarcerated group. All staff received information on signing up for vaccines and watched an educational video that was created by the medical director. Additional information regarding vaccine education and resources was sent via email to the entire RIDOC department.

Results

During this initial campaign, 76.4% (1106/1447) of sentenced individuals and 68.4% (1008/1474) of correctional staff accepted and received the vaccine. Four months after the first vaccine was offered, 77.7% (1124/1447) of the sentenced population and 69.6% (1026/1474) of staff were fully vaccinated.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of vaccine implementation in a carceral setting. Education and communication likely played an important role in mitigating vaccine refusals.

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Most cited references 11

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A mathematical model reveals the influence of population heterogeneity on herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2

Tom Britton, Frank Ball, Pieter Trapman (2020)

Despite various levels of preventive measures, in 2020 many countries have suffered severely from the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. We show that population heterogeneity can significantly impact disease-induced immunity as the proportion infected in groups with the highest contact rates is greater than in groups with low contact rates. We estimate that if R 0 = 2.5 in an age-structured community with mixing rates fitted to social activity then the disease-induced herd immunity level can be around 43%, which is substantially less than the classical herd immunity level of 60% obtained through homogeneous immunization of the population. Our estimates should be interpreted as an illustration of how population heterogeneity affects herd immunity, rather than an exact value or even a best estimate.

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COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in Federal and State Prisons

Brendan Saloner, Kalind Parish, Julie A. Ward … (2020)

This study describes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case rates and deaths among federal and state prisoners and compares them with corresponding rates for the US population.

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Incarceration And Its Disseminations: COVID-19 Pandemic Lessons From Chicago’s Cook County Jail: Study examines how arrest and pre-trial detention practices may be contributing to the spread of COVID-19.

Eric Reinhart, Daniel Chen (2020)

Jails and prisons are major sites of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Many jurisdictions in the United States have therefore accelerated the release of low-risk offenders. Early release, however, does not address how arrest and pretrial detention practices may be contributing to disease spread. Using data from Cook County Jail-one of the largest known nodes of SARS-CoV-2 spread in the United States-in Chicago, Illinois, we analyzed the relationship between jailing practices and community infections at the ZIP code level. We found that jail-community cycling was a significant predictor of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), accounting for 55 percent of the variance in case rates across ZIP codes in Chicago and 37 percent of the variance in all of Illinois. Jail-community cycling far exceeds race, poverty, public transit use, and population density as a predictor of variance. The data suggest that cycling people through Cook County Jail alone is associated with 15.7 percent of all documented COVID-19 cases in Illinois and 15.9 percent of all documented cases in Chicago as of April 19, 2020. Our findings support arguments for reduced reliance on incarceration and for related justice reforms both as emergency measures during the present pandemic and as sustained structural changes vital for future pandemic preparedness and public health.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Justin Berk:

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2865-7464

Warren Alpert Medical SchoolBrown University245 Chapman StSte 100Providence, RI, 02905United States1 401 444 6118justin_berk@brown.edu

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): JMIRx Med

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): JMIRx Med

Journal ID (publisher-id): JMIRxMed

Title: Jmirx Med

Publisher: JMIR Publications (Toronto, Canada )

ISSN (Electronic): 2563-6316

Publication date Collection: Jul-Sep 2021

Publication date (Electronic): 28 September 2021

Volume: 2

Issue: 3

Electronic Location Identifier: e30176

Affiliations

[1 ] Rhode Island Department of Corrections Cranston, RI United States

[2 ] Rhode Island Department of Corrections Providence, RI United States

[3 ] Warren Alpert Medical School Brown University Providence, RI United States

[4 ] Rhode Island Department of Health Providence, RI United States

[5 ] Chapel Hill School of Medicine University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC United States

Author notes

Corresponding Author: Justin Berk justin_berk@ 123456brown.edu

Author information

Justin Berk https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2865-7464

Matthew Murphy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0024-4668

Kimberly Kane https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6433-9773

Philip Chan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0964-5895

Josiah Rich https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4517-7841

Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2191-6240

Article

Publisher ID: v2i3e30176

DOI: 10.2196/30176

PMC ID: 8483152

PubMed ID: 34658368

SO-VID: 95d23ea8-df98-454b-b508-fa42145c2823

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIRx Med, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://med.jmirx.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

History

Date received : 4 May 2021

Date revision requested : 2 June 2021

Date revision received : 9 June 2021

Date accepted : 24 June 2021

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