LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reported Monday that a Lake County Jail inmate has tested positive for COVID-19.
Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace confirmed to Lake County News that the inmate is Lake County’s eighth COVID-19 case.
Sheriff Brian Martin said his agency got the inmate’s test results on Monday morning.
Lt. Corey Paulich said the specimen that identified the infected inmate was collected on Tuesday, April 19.
Paulich said the inmate is not displaying any symptoms of illness. When the positive test result was received the inmate was placed in isolation to avoid spreading the virus.
The sheriff’s office would not provide further information, citing medical privacy laws.
That includes not releasing information in response to questions from Lake County News about how long the inmate has been in custody and whether that individual came in sick or was infected while in the jail.
Paulich said the sheriff’s office is working with Public Health to determine the source of the infection.
One of Lake County’s previous seven confirmed COVID-19 cases was in a former state prison inmate released back to the county early in April, as Lake County News has reported.
Paulich said the test of the COVID-19 positive inmate was part of a 100-test survey conducted in the jail to determine if the virus could be detected in the inmate population or sheriff’s office staff.
He said all participants were asymptomatic so lab testing was not prioritized, causing the delay in receiving the results.
As of Monday, Paulich said the results of 91 tests have been received and this is the only positive case. Four test results are still pending.
Paulich said the sheriff's office has identified all inmates and staff who may have come into close contact with this inmate.
Following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in consultation with the Lake County Public Health officer, 17 inmates who had direct contact with the infected inmate are currently in medical isolation, Paulich said.
On March 12, the sheriff's office instituted enhanced measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the jail.
Those measures include suspending jail programs and visitation, screening all staff prior to entry to the facility, placing inmates who are in custody for minor offenses on home detention, enhanced medical screening at booking, wearing of face masks by staff, designating bed spaces for isolation and quarantine, among others, Paulich said.
Paulich said the jail continues to undergo comprehensive regular cleaning and disinfecting.
Due to Judicial Council of California rules issued in April that put in place a no-bail rule statewide for misdemeanors and lower-level felonies during the COVID-19 pandemic – which it said was meant to “safely reduce jail populations” – the jail census has dropped.
The jail is licensed for 286 inmates and currently has about 172 inmates, which Paulich said changes daily.
Paulich said the sheriff’s office has implemented safeguards to improve the health and well-being of inmates and employees.
Officials are providing comprehensive education to the jail population and staff on how to reduce chances of exposure and infection, he said.
“We have implemented social distancing, virtual meetings, working from home, as well as paused non-essential meetings, travel and training. We have hand sanitizers, cleaning wipes, face masks and disposable gloves readily available to employees,” Paulich said.
“This is a developing situation and we will provide updates as information becomes available,” Paulich said.
To learn more about all the steps being taken to keep everyone in custody safe and healthy, visit www.lakesheriff.com and explore the Coronavirus2019 response plan at http://www.lakesheriff.com/Assets/Sheriff+Site/coronavirus.pd .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Lake County’s eighth COVID-19 case confirmed in jail inmate
- Elizabeth Larson
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