In a study led by UW Department of Health Systems and Population Health (HSPop) affiliate assistant professor Marc Stern, fewer than half of inmates in jails and prisons surveyed said they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine.
“This is a population already at risk for COVID-19, and outbreaks among incarcerated people can worsen inequities in COVID-19 outcomes as well as contribute to spread in the surrounding community.”
— Marc Stern
The study was conducted by researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and led by Stern. The researchers surveyed more than 5,000 inmates — men and women — in late 2020 from three prisons and 13 jails in Washington, California, Florida, and Texas.