The Correction Commissioner is sending a dire warning of a brewing health crisis as Omicron slams incarcerated populations, reports The New York Times.

The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, New York County Defender Services, Queens Defenders and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem released a statement Tuesday calling for the immediate release of incarcerated people and the halt of new admissions to New York City jails in response to Correction Department reports of an alarming rise in new infections.

In a letter to city district attorneys, outgoing Correction Department Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi warned that the “risks to the human beings in our custody are at a crisis level,” as the seven-day test positivity rate among incarcerated people had jumped to over 17 percent from 11.2% a week before – fueling fears of further loss of life at the end of a year that saw COVID rampage through populations at Rikers Island and other DOC facilities.

The joint statement released by Legal Aid and New York City public defender orgs urged immediate action, calling on “judges, District Attorneys, and elected officials at every level of government to take immediate action to release people and halt new jail admissions.”

“Without vaccinations, in a congregate setting, with people who often have health problems and are vulnerable for a whole host of reasons, we’re worried about more deaths,” said Tina Luongo, the Attorney-in-Charge of the Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice, calling for “immediate steps to get as many people off of Rikers as possible.”