The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun to apply the Janssen vaccine from the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson to immigrants in detention centers.
The application of the vaccine in the deportation centers of the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE) aims to reduce the risks of possible COVID-19 infections among detainees and the personnel who work there.
DHS initially received the amount of 10,000 doses of J&J vaccines nationwide, which does not require second doses, which speeds up the vaccination process.
During the pandemic, ICE detention centers have registered close to 20,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Given this situation, starting the vaccination process seeks to be a strategy that manages to control this public health problem, reduce hospitalizations and avoid deaths among ICE personnel and detainees.
ICE explained in a statement that DHS "remains committed to an evidence-based and guided public health approach to vaccine education that ensures that those in our care and custody can make an informed decision during this global pandemic."
So far more than 9,500 vaccines have already been distributed to the different locations of the detention centers. ICE continues to work with state agencies to give more vaccinations to detained immigrants.
"The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues its vaccination efforts to include voluntary vaccinations for people in the care and custody of the United States ICE," explained an ICE spokesperson to the Axios media.
