RALEIGH, N.C. — State prison officials say 2.1 percent of North Carolina offenders have tested positive for coronavirus.
Officials say that the percentage is much lower than other state prison systems;
• New Jersey – 16.3 percent
• Tennessee – 13.6 percent
• Michigan –10.8 percent
• Texas — 9.8 percent
The testing in North Carolina took six weeks, and 619 offenders tested positive out of 29,062, according to a news release.
“Our staff have worked tirelessly to prevent the virus from getting into our prisons, to contain it when it does get into a facility and to reduce its spread to other prisons,” said Commissioner of Prisons Todd Ishee. “These numbers confirm their hard work is paying off and reflect our ongoing commitment to the safety of all North Carolina prisons.”
Prisons Health Services staff began testing the prison population June 22nd, and the mass test cost around $3.3 million, according to a news release.
State prison officials say that the entire prison population has been tested, including 1,600 offenders who were moved from county jails to prison.
Another 600 offenders who had tested positive for the virus before the mass test, do not need to be retested, according to a news release.
State prison officials say offenders who tested positive have been placed in medical isolation, and are being held under close observation.
The majority of offenders who tested positive for coronavirus have recovered, and out of 1,459, who tested positive, 1,210 have been released from medical isolation, according to a news release.
Prison officials say the plan is to test all new offenders for COVID-19 when they arrive from county jail, and offenders will be placed in quarantine until their test results are given.
“Our top priority is everyone’s health and safety, and I mean everyone,” Ishee said. “I am proud of our prison staff who have worked so hard to combat this virus for so long, because of their deep sense of duty to protect the public. They are unsung heroes and can never be thanked enough for their selfless service.”
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services say that COVID-19 positivity rates in North Carolina average between seven and nine percent, and are higher than the positivity rate found in North Carolina’s prisons.
Click here for more information on the number of offenders who have tested positive for the virus statewide.
