Detainees at the McHenry County Jail could begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as early as this week, officials say.

As of Monday, the McHenry County Department of Health has made the vaccine available to those held at the county jail, McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Tim Creighton said.

Corrections workers and detainees are included under Phase 1b of Illinois’ vaccine administration plan. The phase is designed to prioritize vaccines for frontline essential workers and residents age 65 and older.

The designation includes residents who carry a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure because of their work duties, often because they are unable to work from home or because they must work in close to proximity others, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Phase 1b also includes those who live in congregate living facilities like homeless shelters, group homes and detention centers.

Illinois is one of about 30 states vaccinating detainees at the same time as corrections officers, both at the county and state level, but is among just a few states to put both inmates and corrections officers in one of the highest prioritized groups, the Daily Herald reported last month, citing research compiled by the Prison Policy Initiative.

Jail employees already have begun receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, Creighton said last month.

Staff on Monday was working to determine how many detainees plan to receive the vaccine, Creighton said.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that detainees in two blocks tested positive for the virus and that all blocks were in a quarantine and isolation lockdown. Twenty-one detainees were testing positive for COVID-19 as of Monday, Creighton said.

An additional 11 inmates who previously tested positive for the virus all were cleared by medical personnel as of Feb. 8. The three inmates first identified as COVID-19-positive during that outbreak were part of the jail’s inmate worker program, performing jobs in the kitchen and laundry area, Creighton said at the time.

The jail’s current COVID-19 protocols include rapid testing for all detainees once a week and screening and rapid testing of detainees upon entry, McHenry County Sheriff’s Sgt. Aimee Knop said in an email last week.

All jail employees will be rapid-tested once a week during the 28-day outbreak period. Those who test positive will receive a PCR test and be sent home to quarantine for 10 days, according to the sheriff’s office.

Other protocols include testing inmates with COVID-19-like symptoms, increased cleaning of jail pods, mandatory quarantine periods for new inmates who enter without a negative COVID-19 test, the elimination of congregate dining and the use of personal protective equipment by staff and inmates, the sheriff’s office has said.