MADRID – Regardless of crime and age, all inmates in Spain have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in recent weeks. This approach lead to a great deal of outrage on a moral level. Why are terrorists more likely to be vaccinated than Spaniards without a criminal record?
The Spanish news site El Confidencial wrote on Wednesday evening that all prisoners in Spain have already been vaccinated. The Janssen’s vaccine has been administered regardless of age. This makes them a clear exception to the Spanish government’s strategy of vaccinating the population from old to young.
Prison vaccination does not take age into account
Since the Janssen vaccine was given the green light in Spain, white vans with healthcare personnel have been driving to prisons in Spain to vaccinate the detainees. Whether the convict is 18, 32 or 88 years old, everyone has received the necessary dose.
Accordingly, the staff of the establishments will not be left behind. Therefore, those employees not yet vaccinated, may receive theirs at the same time as the prisoners.
Murderers are more likely to get vaccine than ordinary citizens in Spain?
This fact has produced various responses. Especially in terms of values, not all Spaniards agree that murderers or terrorists should receive a corona vaccine before the average citizen with a clean criminal record.
Meanwhile, the Spanish government reports that vaccination of the over-60s in Spain is still in full swing. At the time of writing, 26.7% of Spaniards have had a first dose and 11.4% have already been fully vaccinated.
Vaccination of prisoners in Spain on the advice of the Health Council of the Netherlands
When asked why correctional facilities have chosen to vaccinate all prisoners, they refer to one of the latest versions of the vaccination strategy of the Inter-territorial Health Council of Spain.
This document recommends vaccination of prisoners earlier and all at the same time due to the fact that prisons contain people of all ages and with various health risks. These people are more exposed to the risk of contamination because not every prison can ensure that inmates can follow all hygiene measures.