ASPC-Safford
Contributed Article/Courtesy ADCRR
PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry has fully vaccinated more than 80% of its inmate population against the COVID-19 virus.
Among the Department’s current inmate population of 34,690 inmates, there are currently a total of 12 positive COVID cases system-wide, or less than 0.035% of the population. And of the inmates who have tested positive since the pandemic began early last year, more than 99% have recovered.
“ADCRR takes care of its inmates,” said Director David Shinn. “This exceptional success would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of many. Our corrections officers and professional staff made fighting COVID a top priority and these numbers show just how good they are at their jobs.”
ADCRR remains one of only a handful of state correctional agencies in the nation to mass test their entire inmate population, not only once, but twice. The Department continues to offer COVID-19 vaccines to inmates across its state and private prison facilities as well as at the Department’s intake centers.
“The two greatest resources we received were tests and vaccines,” Director Shinn said. “I am thankful to Governor Doug Ducey, our partners at the Arizona Department of Health Services, and the Arizona Army National Guard, for the resources and support they have provided to us throughout the pandemic. The successful rollout of the vaccine and the high vaccination numbers we have at ADCRR are a testament to how seriously we have taken this once-in-a-lifetime public health challenge.
COVID-19 data is updated on ADCRR’s dashboard at https://corrections.az.gov/adcrr-covid-19-dashboard. Please note the data on the dashboard is cumulative back to February 2020. For the latest regarding ADCRR’s COVID-19 management strategy, visit https://corrections.az.gov/covid-19-management-updates.
