Prisoners and prison staff need to be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccines, researchers from University College London have said. A new study published in the Lancet Journal of Respiratory Medicine said overcrowded facilities and inconsistent access to sanitation made prisons high-risk environments for infectious disease outbreaks. Researchers said despite prisons implementing extensive social distancing and infection control measures in March 2020, there were 7.6 confirmed Covid-19 cases per 1,000 people in prisons in England and Wales during the first wave – compared with 4·9 in the general population. Researchers say the high-risk nature of prisons should make them “one of the most pressing … priorities in the Covid-19 vaccination programme.”The report states: “Currently, people in prisons are being offered Covid-19 vaccines in step with the general UK prioritisation criteria – ie, based on age and presence of long-term conditions. (PA Graphics)“It can be difficult to identify eligible people in prisons, due to poor clinical coding and limited interaction with health services, both during and before prison.

Source: The Herald March 17, 2021 07:07 UTC