DOJ: Include inmates in vax drive

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice will ask the National Task Force Against COVID-19 to include thousands of unvaccinated inmates in the three-day “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” campaign, which aims to inoculate 15 million Filipinos, DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra said yesterday.

According to Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) data, only 17,295 or 35.52 percent of 48,689 inmates in seven penal farms had been inoculated as of Nov. 9.

Guevarra said he would ask Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, to include inmates in the government’s mass vaccination program from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.

By including the estimated 31,000 unvaccinated inmates nationwide, Guevarra said the government would be able to reach its target of inoculating 15 million people.

“We have millions of vaccine doses available during the national vaccination days, so why not consider the health of inmates who are at risk of contracting the virus due to overcrowding in prisons,” Guevarra said. “Some of the elderly inmates have underlying medical conditions.”

According to the BuCor, only 10 of 28,516 inmates at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP)’s Reception and Diagnostic Center have been fully vaccinated while 10,987 inmates have received a first dose of COVID vaccines.

The BuCor said 7,955 inmates at the NBP’s medium security compound and 1,402 at the minimum security compound have been given their first dose of COVID-19 vaccines.

At least 17,329 inmates at the maximum security compound remain unvaccinated, according to the BuCor report.

The Iwahig penal colony in Palawan also reported that none of the 2,729 inmates has received COVID-19 vaccines.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology said over 110,000 inmates detained in BJMP facilities have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines.

BJMP chief Allan Iral said as of Sunday, 114,570 inmates or 91 percent of the total nationwide have received a first dose, while 76,084 or 60 percent have been fully vaccinated.

“We are hoping that with the support of our partners and government agencies, we could hit 100 percent vaccination rate in all district, city and municipal jails across the country before the year ends,” Iral said.

Aside from COVID-19 vaccines, Iral said 85,816 inmates were also given flu shots while 3,901 prisoners received pneumococcal vaccines.