About 40 inmates were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Tuesday in a one-day event held by Nomi Health and the Utah Department of Corrections.
The inmates at the Utah State Prison in Draper received the one and done Johnson & Johnson vaccine — if they wanted it.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salvador Martinez grimaces as he receives the COVID-19 vaccine from Nomi Health staff at the Utah State Prison in Draper, on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Martinez said he wanted to get the shot so he could see his mother.
Nomi Health, an Orem-based healthcare company, was contracted in January by the state to run 18 TestUtah sites. The company has vaccinated over 1,600 state prisoners to date while coordinating COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts across the country, according to a news release.
One by one inmates who agreed to get the vaccine were walked from their cell and given the shot in the day room just outside their cells.
Many prisoners said they got the shot so they could safely meet with family during visiting hours, which resumed last June. Visitors and inmates are not required to be vaccinated to meet with loved ones and visitation is held behind a barrier.
“This event furthers Nomi’s mission to bring healthcare services to the people,” the news release stated, “and being good stewards of the State by providing and activating the largest mobile COVID-19 testing and vaccination task force, in Utah.”
