This story was told by a person incarcerated at John Latorraca Correctional Center.
UCI: You mentioned earlier about the vaccines. What has the vaccination situation been like? Is it – do you have to sign up for it or do they give it to you?
Caller: They’ve been coming by every month or two and they keep asking, you know, people that haven’t had it if they want it. The first one they rolled out was the Moderna. It was a two-step, so they had to give it you, then you waited a month, got the second one.
And now they’re on to the Johnson & Johnson, and I think they’ve come by two, three times with – with that one. And yeah, you know. So, you know, some of the inmates want them and some of them don’t.
There are some people that denied it, and then it comes around again and then they want it again. There’s people who have already got – gotten it, and now they want – now they want the booster. They want it again or a different one or something for added protection.
They haven’t done that, so. Some of the people that are – I noticed incentives work with people to get the shot. Some people that got incentives to prison, they all of a sudden will want the shot because you have to clear twice before they’ll – they’ll ship you out to go to prison.
So, they figure, “Hey, if I get the shot now, I won’t contract it between now and then. I’ll test negative when they swab me, so then I’ll get to move on with my life.” So, yeah, I seen that. You hear people’s political beliefs on the efficacy of the shots, any dangers, any positives or negatives.
But it’s readily available. If you want it, you can get it. Yeah. So, it’s – yeah it’s been pretty good. So, I can’t – can’t complain. They made it available, so.
UCI: Yeah, I get that. That’s – that’s good to know. Did you get any side effects from the vaccine?
Caller: Actually, I did. I felt like a little sick. I don’t know if it was like a fever or like weakness. I just – I didn’t feel good, I didn’t feel like my normal self. But it only lasted like a day.
UCI: Did your facility help you out with that or?
Caller: That part, no. It was pretty much just, “Suck it up.”
UCI: Do you think they should have attempted to help you out or?
Caller: Not really because I don’t think there’s much they could do. That just has to – you have to ride out the course.
