On Thursday, April 1, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department announced that all the inmates confined in the Guilford County jails – in Greensboro and High Point – had been offered a COVID-19 vaccination.

Medical professionals were giving out the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to those inmates willing to take it.  According to the press release from the department, just over a third of the inmates accepted the shot.

The press release states, “The Detention facilities’ residential population is constantly changing, which makes the one-shot vaccination from Johnson & Johnson ideal.” 

“Approximately 35 percent of the 680 residents chose to receive and were successfully administered the vaccination.”  

The press release also states that Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers, department staff and other groups worked together to complete the vaccinations.  The release stated that Sheriff’s Department officials wanted to publicly thank Guilford County Emergency Services, Guilford County Emergency Management, the Guilford County Division of Public Health and WellPath for their assistance in vaccinating the inmates. 

Guilford County’s two jails get in new inmates all the time, and the Sheriff’s Department, in conjunction with those partners, is working on future plans to offer the vaccination to new residents as they’re brought in.  Jail officials also intend to be prepared to vaccinate any current inmates who didn’t get vaccinated on April 1 but who change their minds in the future.

As the Guilford County Division of Public Health is able to procure vaccination doses, the Sheriff’s Department will continue to offer jail inmates the option of taking it.   In Guilford County’s jails, and in jails and prisons across the country, there have been serious COVID-19 outbreaks among guards and inmates who are constantly indoors in close proximity to each other.