Only half of the inmates at Hamilton’s jail have been vaccinated for COVID-19

Only half of the inmates at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre were vaccinated for COVID-19 last week, according to Hamilton public health.

As of April 21, of the 440 inmates at the Barton Street jail, only 218 were vaccinated in a series of inoculation clinics held last week, said public health spokesperson James Berry in an email to The Spectator.

Public health did not provide further details on how many inmates declined a vaccine and which inmates were offered one.

Hamilton's jail isn't unique when it comes to low vaccination rates among inmates in Ontario.

At the Maplehurst jail in Milton, of about 850 inmates at the jail, only 361 were vaccinated over the course of three days mid-March. And at the Vanier Centre for Women, adjacent to Maplehurst, just 80 of 200 inmates chose to get vaccinated last month, according to a Toronto Star story.

In a statement to The Spectator, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General said they are working with local public health units to promote vaccination and address" any concerns inmates have surrounding vaccines.

The spokesperson said facility staff also provide all inmates" with ongoing health promotion and education" and circulate promotional health-care materials provided by individual public health units."

The Spectator asked Hamilton public health Thursday what they are doing to combat vaccine hesitancy at the Barton jail but did not receive a response before deadline.

There are several valid reasons incarcerated people would be wary of being vaccinated, according to a Hamilton doctor who researches prison health. Those include discrimination at the hands of the government as well as barriers to information.

People need information from sources they can trust in order to make what feels like a good informed decision for them," said Dr. Claire Bodkin, a resident physician at McMaster University, in a recent interview with the Star. I think you have a situation where the people who are detaining you are the ones saying, No, this is a good idea; it's safe to do this,' and I just don't think there is trust there for a lot of people."

Bodkin noted that both Black and Indigenous people remain overrepresented in jails as a result of racism and colonization, the same reasons they may lack trust in the health-care system.

As for vaccinations for inmates that come into the jail going forward, Berry said future clinics continue to be under discussion."

Correctional officers still waiting

Any leftover doses from the three-day clinic were set to be offered to eligible staff at the jail, but public health could not confirm how many correctional officers were offered a jab last week.

The head of the union representing correctional officers in Hamilton said a small number" of correctional officers were able to get vaccinated with residual doses.

However, many members are still waiting to roll up their sleeves.

Geoff Vanderdeen, president of OPSEU Local 248, said the earliest appointments he's heard about are for May 1, while the latest are for May 17 - a month after Hamilton correctional officers received an online invitation to book.

Obviously, we are not priority in the eyes of (public health)," said Vanderdeen in an interview Thursday. It's very disheartening and it's very disconcerting."

The delay in vaccinations comes a month after a handful of correctional officers in Hamilton were mistakenly" vaccinated and others were turned away after booking appointments and waiting hours in line.

Last week, the head of the union representing corrections workers in Ontario called on the province to order Hamilton public health officials to open up COVID-19 vaccinations to its members as soon as possible.

Berry said the city, and its health-care partners, have a limited vaccine supply."

These officers have been prioritized for vaccination within Phase 2 and this is why they have been able to book vaccine appointments," he added. Phase 2 will continue to rollout into the early summer."

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com