DUBLIN — At least 11 new inmates recently tested positive for the coronavirus inside Alameda County’s jail, a spike from a recent steady decline in cases.
Santa Rita Jail in Dublin has had a total of 49 inmates test positive for COVID-19 since March. On Thursday, the jail had two currently positive inmates, the number gradually declining in recent weeks. But since Sunday, the jail reported 13 currently positive inmates.
No inmates have died as a result of testing positive for the virus.
Out of the total 49 who tested positive since the crisis hit, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office reports that 33 inmates in custody have recovered, another two recovered and are no longer in custody, and one who tested positive was released and not treated at the jail.
The jail’s population as of Sunday was 1,750 inmates, down from the average daily population of 2,600. The jail has completed 167 tests for COVID-19, 49 of whom tested positive, 115 negative and three still pending.
Santa Rita Jail has had the most reported instances of the coronavirus since the crisis hit than any other jail in the Bay Area. Advocates have routinely called upon the release of more inmates, or all of the inmates, from the jail to prevent the virus from spreading further. The sheriff’s office has previously commented that the release of all inmates from the jail would never happen.
In addition to the 49 positive inmates, the jail also reported that at least two staff members contract the virus, one of which has recovered. The first person to have tested positive for the virus inside the jail was a nurse, which was first announced at the end of March. More than a week later, the jail reported its first inmate to test positive.
