Ten Urgent Priorities Based on Lessons Learned From More Than a Half Million Known COVID-19 Cases in US Prisons

COVID-19 is ravaging US prisons. Prison residents and staff must be prioritized for vaccination, but a rapidly mutating virus high rates of continued spread require an urgent, coordinated public health response. Based on knowledge accumulated from the pandemic thus far, we have identified 10 pressing priorities responding to in prisons: (1) accelerate population reduction coupled with community reentry support, (2) improve prison ventilation systems, (3) ensure appropriate mask use, (4) limit transfers between facilities, (5) strengthen partnerships departments leadership, (6) introduce or maintain effective occupational programs, (7) access advance care planning processes incarcerated patients delineation patient rights, (8) leadership people, (9) provide emergency mental support staff, (10) commit accountability transparency. Dedicated leaders cannot accomplish these alone. We mobilize leaders, residents; departments; advocates; policymakers work together address pandemic’s outsized impact