61% of prison inmates given vaccines vs COVID-19 – DILG

MANILA, Philippines — A little over 61 percent of persons deprived of liberty (PDL) in Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facilities have been given jabs against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año assured on Sunday that the BJMP was ramping up the vaccination of PDLs, 33 percent or nearly 41,000 of whom have been fully inoculated.

As of Oct. 20, the BJMP has administered jabs to 116,845 PDLs in its 472 district, city, and municipal jails nationwide.

Of the 116,845 inoculated PDLs, 75,970 received their first dose of COVID-19 jabs while 40,875 have been fully vaccinated. There are 123,499 PDLs in BJMP-maintained facilities nationwide.

—JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE