ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — Alamance County Health Department announced Monday it identified an outbreak at the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center on Aug. 24.
The department said both agencies have been working closely to implement mass testing and additional safety precautions that help protect both inmates and staff, since the first case was identified.
“Currently, 99 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at the facility,” Alamance County said in a press release.
The county said the confirmed cases consist of six staff members and 93 inmates.
The department said 3 staff members are not Alamance County residents and two inmates have been transferred to other facilities, so they will not be included in the Alamance County daily case count.
Per state health officials, an outbreak is defined as two or more laboratory-confirmed cases within a congregate living facility.
“Since March, the Alamance County Detention Center has instituted early screening and testing of inmates and detainees as well as increased sanitation and cleaning of all facilities," said sheriff Terry Johnson. "With these new positive cases identified, the sheriff’s office is committed to aggressively working with our health department to protect our staff and those entering our jail."
Johnson said jail staff and medical professionals are implementing more health monitoring, the distribution of masks and hygiene kits, and providing ongoing COVID-19 testing.
"Our priority continues to be the safety of our staff, inmates, and detainees, and we are doing everything in our power to protect those in our care,” Johnson said.
Interim health director Alexandria Rimmer said the department is working closely to provide recommendations, case investigation, contact tracing, and testing.
The department said it identified its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 20.
Health officials said since then, a total of 3,244 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the community and said of those confirmed cases, 2,858 have been released from isolation and 340 remain active and in isolation.
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