Over 1,000 inmates at Goose Creek have tested positive for COVID-19

POINT MACKENZIE — Out of over 1,300 inmates housed at Goose Creek Correctional Center, which is the Alaska Department of Corrections’ largest facility, 1,023 of those inmates have now tested positive for COVID-19.

There have also been 16 GCCC inmates hospitalized due to COVID-19. The first inmate in Alaska to test positive did so at Goose Creek in April and the first Alaskan inmate to die from COVID-19 in late November was housed at Goose Creek. As Pfizer BioNTech vaccines have arrived and distribution to Tier 1 and Tier 2 vaccine recipients has begun, some prison staff and inmates will be included in the vaccination push.

“I wish I had a vaccine for everyone who wanted it right now but as you mentioned it is a limited supply. The rest of the inmate population has not been determined. We’re again waiting on some national guidelines and then the state allocation committee will work through that but those who are highest risk in prison are considered the same as long term care facility residents as well as the staff caring for them, so they are part of this tier 1 and tier 2 grouping. We also see numerous other vaccines on the horizon and that will also help us to get more vaccine out to more people quickly,” said Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink.

After receiving praise for containing their positive case to just one inmate in April, another GCCC inmate tested positive on Oct. 28. Alaska DOC Public Information Officer Sarah Gallagher reports roughly 528 active cases of COVID-19 among inmates. There have been 365 GCCC inmates who have tested positive in the last two weeks and eight staff members have tested positive.

“This is not an issue of neglecting individuals, this is an issue of supply and obviously demand and so we’re going to get as many folks again the opportunity to take this vaccine as quickly as possible but again that’s dependent upon how much vaccine is produced and how much can be shipped out,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy. “Our focus at this moment is taking care of the first line health responders as well as our seniors but also in the infirmaries, so we’re trying to get as many vaccines here as possible as every state is and they’re producing as many as they possibly can and when those vaccines come we’re going to through the chain all the way down to just healthy individuals that wish to get the vaccine.”