Chautauqua County Jail

More than 100 inmates at the Chautauqua County Jail received a COVID-19 vaccine this week.

Sheriff James Quattrone said the county received an allotment of the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine earmarked for “homebound” individuals. The shots had to be administered within seven days, so the decision was made to hold a clinic inside the county jail’s medical unit Tuesday that included the county Department of Health and Human Services to use some of the doses.

At least 110 inmates were recipients of the allotment.

“I was supportive of this decision as many of the inmates will be released and often engage in high-risk behaviors that would or could endanger their communities,” Quattrone said. “It is unfortunate that too many end up recidivating and end up back in jail. The goal is to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.”

Dozens of inmates and a handful of staff at the Mayville facility tested positive for the virus at the end of November and early December.

According to the state Department of Health, slightly more than 25,000 residents within Chautauqua County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with 10,707 residents completing their vaccination series.

With about 127,000 residents in the county, the state said 20.1% of the population has received at least one shot. While the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only one dose, others are two-dose vaccinations.