500 no-jab correx officers

Still refusing to get vaxxed

More than 500 officers with the already depleted city Department of Correction are still refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and remain on unpaid leave.

New data released by the city show 17 percent of uniformed DOC officers had yet to receive at least one jab as of Thursday night — two days after a deadline imposed by Mayor de Blasio kicked in requiring proof of inoculation to continue working.

Most city workers had until Oct. 29 to get vaccinated or be placed on unpaid leave until they provide proof of vaccination. However, de Blasio gave uniformed correction officers extra time — until Dec. 1 — to receive their first jab, because of the ongoing staffing shortage at the troubled Rikers Island jail complex.

Although the DOC’s 83 percent vaccination rate is the lowest of any city agency, the DOC has seen its rate rise significantly from, 46 percent when de Blasio’s mandate went into effect, and 77 percent when the correction officer deadline kicked in.

Another 9 percent of DOC uniformed staff who have applied for medical or religious exemptions are continuing to report to work as the city reviews their cases, meaning 92 percent of the uniformed workforce is active.

Councilman Keith Powers (D-Manhattan), who chairs the criminal justice committee that oversees city jails, said the mandates are working, adding “we still have work to do, but the current numbers present progress.”

The mayor permitted the DOC to assign 12-hour shifts and “any other measures necessary to address the current staffing shortage” earlier this week.