The 248 inmates in the county jail have not yet been offered a COVID-19 vaccine.
During the Kosciusko County Sheriff Merit Board meeting Wednesday, Kosciusko County Jail Commander Shane Coney said there are currently 248 inmates under his charge, with a capacity of 302.
Coney said the jail was planning earlier to offer the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine to inmates, but after J&J vaccines were paused, that got cancelled.
Coney said he is working with the jail’s health service provider to get something worked out to offer the vaccine to inmates who want one.
On a positive note, Coney said there are zero positive COVID cases in the jail, and he showed off a $35,000 light tower that the jail was able to purchase, paid for completely through a grant.
The UVC light tower is able to kill 99.9% of all viruses, including COVID, MRSA, bed begs and even lice, Coney said.
The jail staff use the light tower in high-volume areas such as booking areas and also in various rooms in the jail.
Depending on the size of the room, Coney said, they place the tower in an empty room for about 10 minutes, it does its job and then they wheel it out.
Only a handful of jails in Indiana have the technology.
In other matters brought before the board was a request from Sheriff Kyle Dukes to approve the hiring of 25-year-old South Whitley native Elizabeth Johnson as a merit deputy.
The board approved, and Dukes said she’ll be hired within a few weeks.
