Increasing availability of COVID-19 vaccine to older adults under community supervision.

PURPOSE: Vaccinating adults who are involved with the carceral system, particularly those aged 55 or older, is crucial to containing the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, particularly as variants continue to emerge and spread. In this Viewpoint, the authors discuss the reasons why improving access to COVID-19 vaccine and boosters among community supervised adults, especially the aging population, is critical to mitigating the public health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study concludes by providing recommendations to enhance vaccine and booster uptake in this population, as the pandemic continues. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This is a Viewpoint paper regarding mitigating the spread of COVID-19 by improving access to vaccine and boosters among community supervised adults, especially the aging population. FINDINGS: A key population that has been overlooked in vaccination efforts are older adults involved in the carceral system who are living in the community (i.e. "community supervised" or people on probation or parole). Older adults on probation and parole are at high risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission and severe disease due to numerous factors at the individual, community, social and structural levels. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Implementation of recommendations presented in this Viewpoint will mitigate COVID-19 risk among a population that has been marginalized and overlooked, yet has been the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duke Scholars

Author Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein Population Health Sciences