Prisoners are heading to the front of the line under Gov. Charlie Baker’s vaccination plan, a politically risky move that could be unpopular with the public.
Health experts with the administration say the move is necessary because prisons and jails are hotbeds of coronavirus and protecting the inmates prevents them from spreading the virus inside and outside the system.
But a governor of at least one other state has put their foot down, saying the state won’t allow inmates to get preferential treatment with the vaccine.
“That won’t happen,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said a week ago, defending the state’s vaccination plan. “There’s no way that prisoners are going to get it before members of a vulnerable population. …There’s no way it’s going to go to prisoners before it goes to people who haven’t committed any crime. That’s obvious.”
Not so obvious to Baker, however.
The governor’s plan released on Wednesday puts prison and jail inmates and homeless people among the first to be given doses of the coronavirus vaccine as soon as it becomes approved by the FDA.
The three-phased plan put out by Baker gives first priority to vulnerable groups living in congregate shelters and settings, which includes prisoners. The first doses will also be given to health care workers directly involved in COVID-19, workers and residents in long-term care facilities, police, fire and other emergency personnel.
So under Baker’s plan, child molesters, rapists and murderers will be getting the vaccine before the general public or even people who are 65 and older.
How’s that sound to most people?
That’s not to say we should just let inmates die or contract the virus and become superspreaders.
But putting them first in line is a tough pill to swallow for others who are anxious to get in line for the vaccine, including those with pre-existing conditions.
Adults over 65 and those with multiple co-morbidities or underlying health conditions, as well as educators, grocery store workers, public works and health workers will come under Phase 2 of Baker’s plan. The rest of the general public will come under Phase 3 of the vaccine plan, but that won’t go into effect until April 2021 at the earliest.
Baker has largely escaped tough criticism throughout the coronavirus pandemic crisis, even though Massachusetts has one of the highest infection rates in the nation.
But that’s starting to change. Democrats have begun to take aim at Baker for what they say is his too-slow response to the pandemic.
Under pressure from health experts, Baker just this week was forced to roll back the business reopening phases but that wasn’t enough for some critics.
“The pressure finally became too much for Baker to ignore, forcing him to finally take the extremely modest steps he outlined,” the Mass Democrats said in a statement. “No matter the issue, Baker only acts when pressured. It’s not leadership, it’s negligence.”
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The stench from Massachusetts smells as bad as the stench from New York, New Jersey, California, Washington and Oregon. If you rape a child or murder a person, you are put at the front of the line. I wonder if Governor Baker, will give the prisoners 100 inch televisions, at taxpayer expense, for each jail cell?
HE probably already has.. BUT I AGREE. WHy the hell should FELONS EVEN GET the vaccine, let alone PUT AHEAD OF TAX PAYING, LAW ABIDING citizens?!?!?!
I say, with the heretofore unknown side effects of these vaccines, let’s let them be used on all the individuals in prisons, thus eliminating the need to “release them lest they get COVID” AND to understand what adverse reactions they create. If there are serious [even fatal] reactions as claimed in UK, it’s a win-win. We keep the prisoners in prison and maybe reduce the prison population at the same time. You’ll notice that President Trump has retracted his call for his WH staff to be at the top of the list while fraud-chi has said it’s important to vaccinate all the upper admin personnel. I doubt President Trump will want the military to be near the top of the list, either.
To the citizens of MA, you voted this fool into office.
OF course, they’re probably just as BRAINLESS AS he is!
Good move. After the vaccine is given to this group, wait two months or so to see what happens. If it looks good then give it to the rest of the population.
“That won’t happen,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said a week ago, defending the state’s vaccination plan. “There’s no way that prisoners are going to get it before members of a vulnerable population. …There’s no way it’s going to go to prisoners before it goes to people who haven’t committed any crime. That’s obvious.”
I heard Polis say this and I almost fell off my chair to hear that much common sense coming out of his mouth. He also put a reporter in his place a few weeks ago when he demanded to know why Polis wouldn’t be releasing any prisoners.
Most unusual for a Democrat governor. He better be careful or his Marxist masters will take him down.
Really? I will be surprised if you don’t see a lot of these vulnerable ppl die after receiving this vaccine and I think that is by design. Just like Cuomo and Wolfe intentionally sent covid patients into nursing homes. They want to eliminate the elderly and sick ppl because they cost too much money and resources. They make money off of prisoners (hence, why they want to get rid of the death penalty and give them life. Can’t make money off of dead ppl). The quicker ppl wake the hell up and figure out that no one in government, at any level, gives a damn whether you live or die the better off this country will be.
Maybe that’s why the’re pushing to GET old folk vaccinated, in the first round.. TO KILL off the rest, that their shoving sick folk, into the assisted living homes, didn’t get!
Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. If we are going to have guinea pigs it makes more sense to have them be felons than the mainstream population who pays for their existence.
You get the government you deserve Mass…
Great let them be phase 3, If they live ok, if not we have saved prison money and it’s back to phase 1 for the makers.
Ive often thought, rather than using animals to test medical drugs on, USE PRISONERS< who are in for life/on death row!!
That kills two birds with one stone.
A) IT MAKES HTEM FINALLY Serve society
B) it gets medical drugs, to the public use, swifter
And, if there aren’t significant adverse side effects, then your part B) comes into play.
This provides that the democrats only care about criminals.And illegals. Blank the American citizens
For the 99.9% who would survive the actual illness, it’s a placebo anyway. If inmates want to volunteer to be early adopters (guinea pigs), I have no objection.
Now, if this were a vaccine for ebola, it would be a different story.
What i greatly fear, is that rather than the GOVT mandating everyone get vaccinated, it will just wind up being big businesses.
Want to keep working, GET THE VACCINE OR get fired.
Want to bank with us, get the vaccine, or be forced to bank elsewhere
Want to shop with us, Get the vaccine or go without.
Want to leave your home, Get the vaccine, or STAY UNDER house arrest…
Exactly as the OWG wishes to have it. NO MARK OF THE BEAST, no commerce.