Today, in an emergency meeting, the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices will vote to decide who will be the first to receive the anticipated COVID-19 vaccine. Most congregate settings have already been named and prioritized given their high risk. The 2.3 million people who are incarcerated in the United States and the tens of thousands of staff working in correctional facilities are also vulnerable to infection and should also be prioritized.

From the beginning of the pandemic, people who live and work in jails, prisons, and detention centers have been at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Since March, when the first known COVID-19-related death in a correctional facility was reported, there have been at least 252,000 incarcerated people and correctional employees that have tested positive and almost 1,500 deaths. In immigration detention centers, 7,152 immigrants have tested positive at 104 of the 200 facilities in which ICE maintains beds. The combination of crowded living conditions where social distancing is not possible, incarcerated populations at higher risk for health issues, and inadequate access to PPE and basic health care in correctional facilities is a threat to the safety and dignity of millions.

Incarcerated people are members of our communities and deserving of care. Unless prioritized, the spread of COVID-19 in jails, prisons, and detention centers will continue driving the overall pandemic curve upward, diminishing efforts to prevent and contain the virus.