Number of Santa Rita inmates with COVID-19 drops by more than half
FILE ART - Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
DUBLIN, Calif. - The number of inmates at Santa Rita Jail with coronavirus dropped by more than half -- from 104 to 42 -- as of Sunday, according to statistics made public by the Alameda County Sheriff.
Of those positive cases, the sheriff reported that 30 inmates are asymptomatic and 12 have symptoms. The drop in positive cases follows a July 9 outbreak, which attorneys for the county said occurred in the kitchen unit.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, 122 formerly positive COVID-19 inmates have completely recovered and are still in custody; 11 formerly positive COVID-19 inmates have recovered and are no longer in custody; and 20 inmates who tested positive for COVID-19 were released from custody, according to the sheriff.
No inmates have died from the virus.
However, two Alameda County Sheriff's employees, a deputy and a staff member in the coroner's bureau, both died within the last week of COVID-19.
Despite protocols not always being followed, Mike Brady, an independent consultant, visited the jail at the end of May and the beginning of June, before the coronavirus outbreak, and noted that the sheriff had devised a "thoughtful, well organized and science driven" COVID-19 response plan.
Lisa Fernandez is a reporter for KTVU. Email Lisa at lisa.fernandez@foxtv.com or call her at 510-874-0139. Or follow her on Twitter @ljfernandez