BUFFALO, N.Y. — During the month of January, 2 On Your Side covered the death of a person incarcerated at Wende from COVID-19, and increases in cases at both Wende and Wyoming Correctional Facilities.
COVID-19 increased in many area prisons, according to new data from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).
Over the month of January, both Attica and Wyoming Correctional Facilities saw COVID-19 cases increases of over 100. Wende had 78 new cases, Collins had 52, and Gowanda had 50.
Lakeview Correctional had an increase of 43 cases. As of February 1, of the 63 total cases the facility has seen, 22 had recovered.
Orleans and Albion were the only correctional facilities relatively unscathed by COVID-19 in January, with just eight new cases at Orleans and five new cases at Albion.
This is looking at data from the day before the start of the new year, December 31, 2020, to February 1, 2021.
Wyoming Correctional saw the greatest number of new COVID-19 cases in January of any state-run correctional facility in Western New York. Wyoming ended December with 65 cases and started February with 236 total positive cases. That is an increase of 171 cases. As of Feb. 1, 201 of those cases have recovered.
Attica Correctional also saw a steep increase in cases, ending December with 125 cases and starting February with 241 total positive cases. That is an increase of 116 cases. As of Feb. 1, 215 of those cases have recovered.
On February 5, 2021, New York State began vaccinating people incarcerated at state facilities who are 65 years old or older.
The state estimates that there are about 1,100 people who meet that eligibility in state facilities. The state is vaccinating those incarcerated with the same eligibility guidelines as the rest of the population.
You can view the data for all prisons, on both December 31, 2020, and February 1, 2021.