This story was told by a person incarcerated at Fresno County Jail.
UCI: Have you been vaccinated?
Caller: I’ve took one shot with Pfizer. I’m waiting for the second one. Because we’re in quarantine, they haven’t given me my second one. We’re supposed to get it this week.
UCI: So how is the vaccination situation at your facility for others?
Caller: Okay they come in and – well, I guess they put up a notice saying that they’re going to give us free packs, a $25 pack for taking either the Johnson or the Pfizer. If somebody takes a Pfizer, they put us in a lottery where they can get $83 packs in a yeah, in a lottery, and if your number comes up or your name comes up, you get that pack.
Okay, well, I figure, if they’re giving packs like that, people are actually taking the time to say, “Okay, we’re going to get the vaccine.” In my facility, over 95 percent got their vaccination, 95 percent, because of that pack.
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: If they’re going to do that, they should do that for everybody. Like I said, we’re cautious about the Johnson and Johnson because we always listen to the news. Okay, Johnson and Johnson has some, I guess, has some problems with people getting blood clots.
UCI: Mm-hmmm.
Caller: Okay, so, why is this facility giving us Johnson and Johnson when they know that it’s been giving people problems? Pfizer is the one that we usually get, so a majority of the people only pick Pfizer.
UCI: Mm-hmmm.
Caller: Other people, the five percent that didn’t want the vaccination, it’s because of the Johnson and Johnson. They’re scared that they might get in trouble.
UCI: The lottery is for which one?
Caller: The Pfizer.
UCI: Oh, okay.
Caller: Pfizer is the one that 95 percent of this facility has taken or is taking. But the five percent are scared because of the Johnson and Johnson and the way it came out with people getting sick. This is why the people are not taking their vaccines because they’re scared of what’s going to happen.
UCI: Yeah, I can understand.
Caller: They don’t know what it is. Okay, Johnson and Johnson, we know what’s in it now. On Pfizer, nobody knows what’s in it, but listening to the news, I understand that people are taking Pfizer and Pfizer, which is a double shot.
If I can get it around to people of knowing what’s inside the Pfizer and Pfizer, I think people would take the vaccine a lot quicker and would be acceptable to taking it.
UCI: Okay.
Caller: But I still don’t understand why is the facilities giving Johnson and Johnson knowing that it’s harming people?
UCI: I don’t know. I think it just an option. At least you could like choose, and you have options.
Caller: Yes, we can choose.
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: But like I said, that five percent are scared. They don’t know what’s in the Pfizer. You know? Because, they see Johnson and Johnson as a threat.
