A massive COVID-19 outbreak at a Central Valley prison has been traced to a staff member, fueling already present fears about the facility's lackluster adherence to virus precautions and poor vaccine rates, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.
COVID-19 cases at North Kern State Prison in Delano, CA ballooned from 15 to 103 in the past two weeks, becoming the largest current prison outbreak in the state.
The spike coincided with the mistaken early release of 51 inmates from quarantine on Sept. 7, two days before they had reached the required 14 days.
However, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesperson Dana Simas told the paper that the premature release was not related to the recent surge in cases. She would not say why the gaffe occurred.
All quarantined prisoners had tested negative prior to the mistaken release.
"Within an hour of being made aware of the premature movement, the incarcerated persons were moved back to their quarantine housing without incident," Simas said.
Officials used contact tracing to originate the spike with a staff member. Simas would not say whether or not the worker was vaccinated.
Only 53% of inmates are vaccinated at the prison, the second lowest rate in the state, however that’s higher than the staff, eho are 51% inoculdated.
There have been 717 prison staff cases during the pandemic, the sixth most in the state prison system, the paper reported. One staff member and five prisoners have died from the disease, none from the current outbreak.
In a four-page letter acquired by the outlet, one prisoner wrote to his mom about the horrors of living in his section of the prison, Dormitory Charlie-East. He wrote that while inmates were required to wear masks at all times, "the officers themselves often times were not wearing masks."
"Just this morning I awoke to a cacophany (of) sneezing, hacking, spitting and groaning," he wrote. "The guys showing the worst symptoms were the old ones, anyone over the age of 50 looked like a pale-faced, hacking walking zombie."
A prison spokesperson told the paper that all personnel are required to wear masks while on the property and all inmates are provided cloth facial coverings.
The prison has implemented protocols to limit movement and maintain social distancing. Inmates and staff are required to test for COVID twice a week, regardless of vaccine status.
There have been no hospitalizations or deaths due to the outbreak.
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