Sacramento County begins vaccinating jail inmates after major COVID-19 outbreak
Sacramento County has begun vaccinating all inmates in its troubled jails after a coronavirus outbreak was detected in both facilities late last year. As the flare-up of cases lingered for nearly two months, the county was urged by human rights lawyers to inoculate inmates more widely in both of its jails.
Dr. Olivia Kasirye, the county’s public health officer, announced the decision during her regular report on the pandemic response at a Board of Supervisors meeting this week. Although the statement did not draw any questions from county lawmakers, the move is a dramatic shift from the initial plan which allowed for only a few dozen older, medically vulnerable inmates to receive the vaccine.
There are more than 3,300 inmates housed at the Sacramento Main Jail and Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center. Last week, the county recorded 72 infections in its two facilities, down from a combined 306 positive cases one month ago.
The county has been vaccinating residents in phases, opening appointments to various groups based on their level of risk. Certain health services workers and residents of long-term care facilities were prioritized first. Now in the early stages of the second phase known as “phase 1b,” the county is only one tier away from opening the vaccine to inmates.
County officials said congregate settings at higher risk of outbreaks, such as prisons and jails, are in the second tier of phase 1b. But due to the ongoing outbreak, the health officer has the ability to move them up in priority in order to help control the outbreak, county officials said.
A county spokesperson said they will prioritize distributing the vaccine by focusing on individual “pods.” They will start with floors or housing areas with high concentrations of inmates who are over the age of 65 or have medical and special needs. Inmates who frequently move throughout the facility, such as workers, and those in need of a second dose will also be prioritized.
The number of vaccines distributed in the jails will be dependent on supply.
Origin of the jail outbreak
County officials believe the outbreak may be linked to a series of transfers from the Sacramento Main Jail downtown to the Rio Cosumnes facility south of Elk Grove. Starting on the day before New Year’s Eve, 55 inmates were moved. At least 46 of them later tested positive for the COVID-19, county officials said.
Most of the county’s efforts have been focusing on intake screening unless an inmate tests positive or is suspected of being infected. But the protocol didn’t require random testing outside of intake or other groups suspected of infection.
As a possible result, the county recorded zero cases in the Rio Cosumnes branch facility, which sees relatively little intake volume, from the middle of August until the final week of 2020 even though the branch facility has the capacity to house hundreds of inmates.
Since the week of Dec. 30, the Rio Cosumnes saw nearly twice as many positive cases as the Main Jail.
The outbreak in the Sacramento County jails wasn’t the first.
Fresno County recorded hundreds of positive cases during an outbreak last summer. During separate incidents, the transfer of medically vulnerable inmates at the Contra Costa County jail and San Quentin State Prison led to a surge of infections.
But few have moved to offer vaccinations widely as a solution.
Earlier this month, several organizations from across the state, including the Prison Law Office and Disability Rights California, authored a letter to Gov. Gavin Newson that called for the California Department of Public Health to issue clear guidance that expedited giving the vaccine to inmates.
“Conditions in the county jails render these facilities distinctively dangerous during the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the letter. “Aging structures, inadequate ventilation systems, and crowded living quarters increase the risk of transmission in the jails.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 1:26 PM.