About 55 inmates at the Eastern Samar Provincial Jail in Borongan City were administered of their first dose of the vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Tuesday.
However, four other inmates were not given the Sinovac vaccine on grounds of being minor, medical reason and outright refusal, provincial jail warden Samuel Afable said in a radio interview aired over DyES-Borongan.
Of the 55 inmates who were inoculated, four of them were women.
They will receive their second dose on November 3.
The vaccination of the inmates at the provincial jail facility was in response to the call of both the provincial and city governments, Afable said.
He also said that inmates detain at the different sub-provincial jails will also be given the vaccine.
In fact, the jail official said, 67 prisoners detained at the sub-jail in Oras town were already given their first shot of the vaccine.
Afable also said that based on their monitoring, no inmates from the provincial jail have been tested positive of the dreaded virus.
He stressed that they are strictly complying with all the mandatory health protocols to ensure that no one will be infected of COVID-19.
Afable also announced in the same radio interview that inmates could now receive visit from their loved ones on the order of Governor Ben Evardone with the protocols to be followed strictly.
Conjugal visit, however, is still prohibited, he said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)