Allegheny County Jail inmates can get vaccinated next week

Allegheny County Jail will offer covid-19 vaccinations to its incarcerated population and employees with two on-site clinics next week.

The clinics will be held next Monday and Wednesday, according to an email from Chief Deputy Warden Laura Williams to staff that was obtained by the Tribune-Review. They will offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is given in just one dose.

The email notes that vaccinations are not mandatory.

“We continue to honor the personal choices regarding health care decisions of all individuals within our institution,” Williams wrote.

“Vaccinations will allow our institution to evaluate and consider reducing restrictions in the future,” she added. “It is very possible that high percentages of participation in vaccination may allow our institution to restore some ‘normalcy’ faster than other institutions.”

The clinics will be held in collaboration with Allegheny Health Network.

The jail has had 341 inmates test positive since the pandemic began, according to data published on the county’s website. There is one person who tested positive as of Thursday.

In addition, 132 staff members have tested positive over the past 13 months. No staff members are positive now.

The jail has held three vaccine clinics, with 301 employees receiving both doses of vaccine and 45 receiving their first shot.

The jail saw an outbreak of positive cases in late February and early March.

Advocates started to press for universal testing to try to curb the rising level of positive cases, and last month, the jail agreed as part of an ongoing lawsuit to begin testing all newly incarcerated people beginning next week.

Under the change, a negative test will be required before an inmate can be moved out of intake housing and into the general population.