Muskogee County Jail Staff, Inmates Start Getting Single-Shot COVID Vaccine

Over half of inmates at the Muskogee County jail are now vaccinated. On Thursday, inmates and jail staff received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which consists of only one shot. Jail staff said it's all thanks to local businesses and volunteers stepping up to help.

Undersheriff Greg Martin said it's been a long time coming, especially with the number of inmates who have tested positive this past year. 

"Probably 60% of our inmates have had it. It's a quarantine nightmare for us. We’ve had to quarantine folks, and that means shutting down whole pods at a time, among other things," Martin said. 

Martin said they are one of the first jails in the state to use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. He said when it comes to jail operations, having to only give out one shot makes a big difference.

"With the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, we can share that information once they leave our facility, either one,  going back into the general population of our county or going into state prisons, that they have already had one shot versus the two-tier shot," Martin explained. 

Chris Schiller with Economy Pharmacy volunteered his time and staff to get the vaccines ordered and administered. 

"This is just another way that we can be a part of the solution and support the community," Schiller said. "It’s going to make it a lot easier for the inmates if they get released or when they can transport and just as far as the social distancing aspect of it."

State representatives and the state health department also helped get the vaccines to the jail. Martin said he hopes to have the vaccine available at the jail daily for both new staff and inmates.

"I don’t know what the new normal is going to be for us. Right now, we’re just trying to get back to normal, whatever is the new normal is for us," Martin added. 

Martin said the jail will give out another round of vaccines next month.