12 more inmates test positive for coronavirus in Durham County jail outbreak

Twelve more inmates at the Durham County jail have tested positive for COVID-19, increasing the detention center’s latest outbreak to 20 cases, Sheriff Clarence Birkhead announced Wednesday.

After an initial eight inmates tested positive for coronavirus beginning Aug. 7, all of the downtown jail’s staff members and inmates were tested.

One of the positive cases was a detainee in intake quarantine.

The other infected detainees were housed in a single area of the detention center and are being isolated until medical staff clears them, a release from the Durham County Sheriff’s Office stated.

“The facility is undergoing additional cleaning and we will continue to monitor all detainees,” Birkhead said in the release. “While I am relieved the coronavirus has not spread throughout the entire facility, I want to emphasize one case is still too many.”

The jail consists of multiple pods, or units, in which two levels of individual cells open onto a common day room. Inmates are encouraged to socially distance, practice good hygiene and wear provided masks, the release stated.

In April eight detention officers tested positive for the virus and one died.

Jails like Durham County Detention Center predominantly hold people awaiting trial and not people who have been sentenced.

The jail is one of 19 jails or detention centers in North Carolina with reported coronavirus outbreaks.

Durham County officials have been working to reduce the jail population both during and before the pandemic, The News & Observer reported.

In July, the jail housed an average of 240 people a day, roughly one-third of its capacity, The N&O reported.

The Orange County and Johnston County jails have also reported outbreaks, which the state defines as two or more cases. Three staff members and one inmate have tested positive in Orange County. Five staff members have tested positive in Johnston County.

This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 5:41 PM.