A 60-year-old man suffering from a chronic medical issue who was in the Sedgwick County jail has died after testing positive for COVID-19. In addition, some of the inmates housed with him in an open dormitory pod have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Col. Jared Schechter, a spokesman for the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, told KSN News Lester L. Jacobs, recently started showing a decrease in cognitive functions and was admitted to the hospital Wednesday. In the hospital, Jacobs tested positive for the coronavirus. He died shortly before noon Thursday. The sheriff’s office is waiting for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The pod where Jacobs was housed is in quarantine. Two detention deputies recently tested positive and are quarantining. Col. Schechter says all inmates are given masks and encouraged to wear them, but most inmates do not. All inmates are also offered a free COVID-19 vaccination. Col. Schechter said a couple of months ago the jail did a mass vaccination effort, and only 39% of inmates agreed to be vaccinated. Schechter does not know if Jacobs had been vaccinated.
According to the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, Jacobs was being held in the jail on felony charges of violating the offender registration act and a state parole violation.