coronavirus

COVID-19 Cases Rise at Santa Rita Jail

Forty-six inmates tested positive for the coronavirus and nine of those are symptomatic, Alameda County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly said.

Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
NBC Bay Area

COVID-19 cases spiked recently at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, an Alameda County sheriff's spokesman said Tuesday.

Forty-six inmates tested positive for the coronavirus and nine of those are symptomatic, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly said. The rest are asymptomatic. None of the cases are serious.

The nine symptomatic inmates are isolated in a housing unit and are under close observation.

“We've been down this road before," Kelly said.

Previously, the jail had a spike of about 110 cases, he said.

Since the pandemic started, more than 700 coronavirus cases have been reported at the jail and only two people have been hospitalized. Both people recovered, Kelly said. 

"We've been fortunate with COVID," Kelly said. "We'll get through this spike."

He said if a surge occurs in the general population, a surge will occur at the jail. The surge is not widespread, with the jail population currently at 2,165.

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