A total of 119,175 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in the jail facilities manned by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) have already been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to BJMP spokesperson Supt. Xavier Solda on Sunday, March 20.
In an interview over GMA News, Solda said the figure represents 92.18 percent of all inmates under their custody. He added that 6.54 percent of the PDLs are waiting for their their second doses while 6,215 or 4.81 percent others have not been inoculated.
‘Ito (unvaccinated PDLs) ang sinasabi ng DOH na maisasama sa mga papabakunahan (These are those included in the vaccination process as mentioned by the DOH (Department of Health),’’ Solda explained.
To expedite the inoculation process, Solda noted that the BJMP is coordinating with the local government units (LGUs) in a bid for their inmates to be included in the vaccine allocation of the localities.
Since the start of the pandemic, Solda disclosed that a total of 5,019 Covid-19 cases have afflicted the BJMP’s PDL.
Of this number, Solda revealed that 4,886 have fully recovered, 54 died and only nine still have the disease.
“There are currently 129,283 PDLs in BJMP jails’’, Solda added.
“The BJMP continues to implement health and safety protocols to prevent the further transmission of COVID-19,’’ he added.
In focusing on the health of the PDLs, Solda said the BJMP has purchased medicines and additional electric fans and exhaust fans, checked on the water supply, and is conducting daily disinfection and cleaning.
Solda admitted that 340 out of 475 BJMP facilities are congested, but that 135 are not. (Chito A. Chavez)