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California inmates with special needs were among the first to get vaccinations against COVID-19 in the Golden State this week, according to a Tuesday report.
Sixty-five inmates and employees of California Health Care Facility in Stockton, volunteered to receive the vaccine Tuesday, said Steve Crouch, director of public employees for the International Union of Operating Engineers, which represents maintenance and systems employees.
California Health Care Facility in Stock, Calif. (Google Maps)
The employees who received vaccinations are in high-risk positions dealing with potentially infected inmates, Crouch told the Los Angeles Times.
At least 150 of the facility’s 2,400 inmates are positive for COVID-19.
Vaccination of employees and high-risk inmates is also expected to get underway at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Medical Facility, Vacaville, according to California Correctional Health Care Services.
"Supply of the vaccine is limited and will be distributed according to state and federal guidelines," the agency said in a statement. "Our first focus will be people at high risk of becoming infected or severely ill from COVID-19."
California state prisons have more than 90,000 inmates and as of this week more than 10,000 had active cases of COVID-19, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website.
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Active cases among staff totaled more than 3,400. Cumulatively, there have been more than 10,500 staff cases and 7,120 have returned to work.
The deaths of 113 inmates and 11 staff members appear to be due to complications of COVID-19, according to the department.
Outside of prisons, vaccinations against the coronavirus are underway for medical workers as California is in the midst of a stunning surge of coronavirus cases that authorities say stems from Thanksgiving gatherings.
On Thursday, California became the first state in the nation to surpass 2 million cases, according to the latest estimates from Johns Hopkins University.
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The grip milestone comes as many hospitals in California are at or on the brink of capacity. Earlier this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state could reach 100,000 by January.
Fox News’ Madeline Farber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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