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M artin L uther K ing J r .
2021 special edition
January 13, 2021
Vaccinations Begin at High-Risk Prisons
First shots for staff;
then adults in custody
Dr. Warren Roberts, the chief medical director for the
Oregon Department of Corrections, receives the Moderna
Therapeutics COVID-19 vaccine as public health officials
target prisons where staff and inmates are among the most
at–risk populations in danger of contracting the virus.
Some of the first COVID vaccines ar-
riving in Oregon are being targeted to Or-
egon’s prisons, where staff and inmates
are among the most at- risk populations in
danger of contracting the virus, according
to public health officials.
The Oregon Department of Corrections
announced that prison employees be-
gan receiving the Moderna Therapeutics
COVID-19 vaccine with the New Year,
part of an initial delivery of enough doses
to treat 400 people.
In the coming months, the protection
will be offered and strongly encouraged to
all corrections staff, contractors, Oregon
Corrections Enterprises employees, and
adults in custody, officials said. The pri-
oritization of vaccines will be determined
by guidance from the Oregon Health Au-
thority, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, the Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices, and the Gov-
ernor’s Office.
Dr. Warren Roberts, the chief medical
director for the Oregon Department of
Corrections, was one of the first employ-
ees to receive the vaccine. He strongly en-
couraged all prison employees, the people
who are incarcerated, and the public to
also get vaccinated as soon as it is avail-
able to them.
“I’ve seen first-hand the epidemic in the
prison setting and know we need to fight
back with all tools available. Some of the
worst outbreaks in Oregon have been in in-
stitutional settings and this virus does not
stay behind the prison walls, it seeps out into
the surrounding community,” Roberts said.
Authorities said the vaccinations will be-
gin with individuals who are in close contact
with COVID-19-positive individuals and
infectious materials. This includes medical
providers and nurses, transport employees,
security staff working on COVID-19 units
and/or performing hospital watches, and a
small number of adults in custody whose
work assignments involve cleaning and dis-
infecting in COVID-19-positive units.
“The 13,000 adults in DOC custody
miss seeing their friends and family, and
vaccines will help us open visiting again.
And as essential public safety profession-
als, DOC employees and their loved ones
deserve some peace of mind and protection
against the virus,” Roberts said.
“Again, I encourage all Oregonians to get
vaccinated and help us turn the tide. Even
if you are skeptical, please consider those
around you – your elderly parents, your
neighbors, your community members who
have underlying health conditions. We have
all made sacrifices this year, but getting the
vaccine is a heroic act and an enormous step
toward protecting the lives of all Americans.”