Oregon will begin vaccinating its detainees against COVID-19 after a federal judge ruled Tuesday that priority should be given to the state’s prison population, Oregon Live reported.
The ruling prevents prisoners in phase 1, group 2 from launching the vaccine, giving them the same priority access as those living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Previously, only correctional facility employees were included in this category, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
“Our constitutional rights are not suspended during a crisis,” federal magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman wrote in a statement Tuesday, The New York Times reported. “On the contrary, in difficult times we must remain vigilant to protect the constitutional rights of the powerless. Even when faced with limited resources, the state must fulfill its duty to protect those in custody.”
The Oregon government Kate Brown
Kate BrownOvernight Health: Biden Reveals Vaccine Plan Focusing on Mass Vaccinations | Coronavirus deaths worldwide exceed 2 million | CDC: The new option could be the dominant US strain in March. Governors say no more doses of vaccine will come, despite Trump’s promise. At least six GOP lawmakers took part in Trump-inspired protests (D) said he will not fight 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, said on Wednesday.
Boyle noted that the majority of detainees fell in phase 1b before the court order.
“Given that the court ruling requires an accelerated timeline and clarifies that vaccinations should be offered to adults in custody with priority in phase 1a, we will continue with a weekly approach that will integrate adults in custody into our phase 1a distribution plans.” he said. .
Boyle said the inclusion of about 12,000 inmates is not expected to affect the distribution of the vaccine to others, including educators and seniors, but ultimately “it depends on the weekly supply of vaccines we receive from the federal government.”
Brown has previously been criticized for her effort to vaccinate educators, giving her priority over Oregon seniors, Fox News reported.
Brown defended his actions in a tweet, writing: “My decision to vaccinate educators, school staff and Oregon child care providers is simple: I use every tool we have to bring our children back to class this school year ”.
My decision to vaccinate Oregon educators, school staff, and child care providers is simple: I use every tool we have to bring our children back to class this school year.
– Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) January 23, 2021
Brown previously promised, in a tweet on January 27, that all 1st category citizens would be vaccinated by February 8 – a deadline that seems to remain in place.
Other counties have done a fantastic job and completed their first round of vaccines for Phase 1a populations and we will press for the first doses to be offered to all Phase 1a people at the state level before February 8th.
– Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) January 27, 2021
According to Oregon Live, 3,392 cases of COVID-19 have been reported and 42 deaths have been confirmed in Oregon state prisons since the beginning of the pandemic.