CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Cook County Jail has nearly 900 cases of COVID-19, the most at any time since the start of the pandemic.
COVID-19 cases at the jail have quadrupled in just over a month, driven by the Omicron variant.
Block Club Chicago reported county data shows 430 cases among detainees and 450 among Cook County Sheriff’s Office employees.
The numbers fluctuate as detainees come and go. And according to the county data, no deaths have been reported.
The previous peak was 200 cases in January 2020.
Over the summer, there were days when there were just a couple cases.
The Sheriff’s Office said most detainees who tested positive were not infected at the jail - about 60 percent. Meanwhile, about 40 percent are breakthrough cases among the vaccinated.
According to Block Club Chicago, about 77 percent of staff and 64 percent of people detained at the jail are vaccinated. Additionally, 31 percent of detainees have also received a booster shot.
About 5,700 people are currently incarcerated.
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