_:x A total of 555 inmates and jail personnel got their first dose of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) jabs during the vaccination rollout at the Davao City Jail (DCJ) on July 15.
Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Covid-19 Task Force, said in a radio interview Friday the vaccination at the DCJ targets to inoculate 1,000 jail personnel and inmates.
“The recipients of the vaccine are those who belong to A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with comorbidities),” Schlosser said.
Meanwhile, Capt. Ellen Rose Garcia, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Davao’s Community Relations Service and Inmates Welfare and Development chief said of the 555 vaccinated, 489 were inmates from DCJ-annex, and 66 are BJMP personnel.
She said even though the inmates are inside the jail facility, they also have the right to be protected from the threat of the virus.
“Despite the fact that our clienteles are detained inside our facilities, we will still be doing our job into contributing to the goal of the government to achieve herd immunity. Furthermore, it is one of our priorities to secure our PDL’s (person deprived of liberty) health and well-being during this pandemic,” Garcia said.
All BJMP jails nationwide are on lockdown due to the ongoing pandemic to safeguard the health and safety of the inmates.
Jail officers are also prohibited from unnecessary contact with all PDLs to avoid risk of infection.
“We are still on jail lockdown to control the people coming in and out of our jail facilities. Our personnel on duty, despite being vaccinated, still follow the health protocols. Our health service is also working relentlessly to monitor our PDL and personnel’s health,” Garcia said.
At present, DCJ houses a total of 2,995 PDLs in its three jail units: DCJ- Male Dormitory, DCJ- Female Dormitory, and DCJ- Annex.
Source: Philippines News Agency
