A total of 10,885 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to the inmates of three jails in the national capital so far, the Delhi Prisons Department said on Saturday. As on Thursday, 1,648 Tihar jail inmates aged above 45 and 5,750 below the age of 45 years were given COVID-19 vaccine. In Rohini jail, 172 inmates above 45 years and 600 below that age were administered the vaccine while in Mandoli jail, 483 inmates aged above 45 and 2,232 below it have been inoculated, according to the data.
"The inmates who received their first dose inside the prisons and released on interim bail or emergency parole were asked to get the second dose in the dispensaries and hospitals nearby their homes. If they face any difficulty in getting the vaccine, then they can approach the jail authorities," Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said. The prisons department launched a Covid vaccination drive for the inmates in the 45-plus age category on March 18, while the inoculation of the inmates in the 18-44 age group began on May 18.
Since March, around 383 coronavirus cases have been reported among the inmates of the jails in the national capital and eight of them have succumbed to the disease. Among the prison staff members, 225 have been infected with the virus since March. The jail authorities are taking all the precautions and Covid-appropriate behaviour, including social distancing among the inmates, is being strictly followed, a senior jail official said.
The official said over 4,000 inmates were released from the three jails. "This year, the process of releasing inmates started from the second week of May. A total of 3,442 undertrial prisoners released on interim bail and 845 convicts were released on emergency parole from the prisons," they said.
These include inmates who were released last year and then surrendered with no adverse report, and also new prisoners who were eligible for such interim bail or emergency parole in view of the pandemic, under the criteria laid down by a high-powered committee in its meetings on May 4 and May 11. Last year, around 5,500 undertrial prisoners and 1,184 convicts were released on interim bail and emergency parole from the three jails during the coronavirus lockdown.
The first COVID-19 case was reported in Rohini jail on May 13 last year. Two Covid positive inmates of Mandoli jail — both senior citizens — died on June 15 and July 4 last year. Officials said, ever since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year, the prisons department has remained vigilant and instructed its staff to not only maintain hygiene and social distancing among themselves but also spread awareness about the infection among the inmates in the three jail complexes.
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