Vaccine acceptance among prison inmates. Why is this important? Prison systems are very high-risk communities that would benefit from herd immunity. Take a minute to absorb this data to understand overall acceptance and group trends.
Data from the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (CDCR) was analyzed to evaluate vaccine acceptance trends among inmates. Almost 100k incarcerated residents were offered vaccines and 66.5% accepted at least one dose. Data was adjusted to account for resident’s security level, room type, and participation in penal labor.
It was found that there were racial, age, and risk-based discrepancies. Most prominently, while Hispanic and White inmates had above average acceptance rates, Black inmates had the overall lowest (at about 55%). Lower acceptance rates were also seen in lower age groups and lower-risk population (adjusted for age).
Importantly, of the almost 2000 incarcerated residents who initially declined vaccination but were reoffered a first dose, nearly half accepted (45.9%)! This is an indication that hesitancy was not fixed in this context.
If this is important to you, write your local government representatives expressing your opinion.
Posted on Instagram on May 19, 2021.