More than 80% of correctional staff and officers who work in Pennsylvania prisons are not vaccinated or have not reported their vaccination status, Spotlight PA found, raising already high risks in the close-quarters of confinement.

An updated Department of Corrections dashboard shows that as of April 21, only 3,133 out of nearly 16,000 correctional staffers were fully or partially vaccinated. At facilities in Albion, Fayette, Pine Grove, and Smithfield, 90% of staff or more remained unvaccinated.

In contrast, out of 37,245 people incarcerated at the facilities, more than 50% have received a shot.

THE CONTEXT: Corrections spokesperson Maria Bivens said staff vaccinations are self-reported, meaning the number could be artificially low.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said unvaccinated staff put officers and their communities at risk — especially people in prison who either chose not to get vaccinated or are still waiting.

"If there’s a cadre of [corrections officers] in a given facility not vaccinated ... that workplace would still have a risk of COVID, just not emanating from the prisoners themselves," Adalja said.

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