Philip Desgranges, Supervising Attorney in the Special Litigation Unit of The Legal Aid Society, appeared on WCNY’s The Capitol Pressroom podcast to outline a lawsuit Legal Aid has launched against Governor Andrew Cuomo and State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker challenging the criteria dictating eligibility for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine that leaves the vast majority of people in prisons unable to receive the vaccine.

Presently, only incarcerated people being identified as elderly or having comorbidities are allowed to receive the vaccine, despite the fact that it is available for the entire staff population.

“What we’ve seen from experts is that in prison and jail context the identification of people with comorbidities is pretty ripe with error,” Desgranges said. “The most effective way – based on experts and the CDC’s guidance – to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak in prison and jail settings is to provide the vaccine to all those incarcerated, not just simply those who are identified as meeting comorbidity or elderly criteria.”

Listen to the full episode below.