SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — A coronavirus outbreak has been confirmed at two Sacramento County Jail facilities.
According to a press release from county spokesperson Samantha Mott, 32 positive cases have been confirmed at the Sacramento County Main Jail and 37 cases have been confirmed at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center.
All identified cases have been confirmed to be among unvaccinated individuals. Health officials continue to investigate the source as contact tracing is underway.
“We are working closely with Correctional Health staff to conduct contact tracing and mitigate the spread,” said Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye in a press release. “Quarantine protocols are in place and extensive testing is being done.”
Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones called the incident at the facilities a slight outbreak or a spike in cases.
“These folks that have had this slight outbreak in the jail and again it’s still about 2 percent of the population so outbreak is a relative term," Jones said. "So, there’s a couple of things. Number one they’ve been in custody, these aren’t folks that are coming in with it, generally. And number two… They’re all unvaccinated. So, to use an over worn and often inaccurate phrase, it’s a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”
Jones added the jail still has really good protocols in place but said that inmates are now returning to Court in person, allowed volunteers back in to assist with essential mental health services, religious and educational services.
“The reality is this is, it’s unusual for us because we’ve particularly effective in keeping it out of our facility but we’re not unmindful or unresponsive to the spike that’s occurring now and we’re hoping that spike becomes a plateau and then eventually over time will go back down.”
If an individual tested positive, came in close contact with a positive case or is a new arrival at either facility, they are quarantined in one of four areas: intake quarantine for new arrivals, close contact quarantine for those exposed but not showing symptoms, suspect isolation for those with COVID-19 symptoms awaiting test results, and an area for confirmed cases.
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