Jail inmate dies from COVID-19
NORRISTOWN » A male inmate at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, following a 10-day hospitalization, has succumbed to the coronavirus, according to county officials.
“This is the first death from COVID-19 at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. We have not been able to determine with certainty how he was exposed,” county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said during a weekly news briefing on Wednesday. “We extend our deepest condolences to this individual’s family and loved ones.”
The commissioners did not identify the deceased inmate but said he was more than 60 years old and had three underlying medical conditions that are associated with an increased risk of
mortality from the coronavirus and had been incarcerated at the Lower Providence facility since mid2018.
Attempts to obtain additional information about the inmate on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Previously, officials said that since Aug. 2, a total of 24 inmates in the general population at the jail tested positive for COVID-19 and two of the individuals required hospitalization, including the man who died. The second individual who was hospitalized recovered and has returned to the facility.
“All other inmates are currently stable,” Arkoosh said.
Additionally, 15 jail or medical employees at the facility have tested positive this month and they are all currently stable, according to officials.
Earlier this year, between April 23 and April 24, all inmates and staff were tested for the virus. At that time, 171 inmates, out of a population of 942, tested positive for the virus and all were isolated and all cellmates and other known contacts were quarantined.
A few weeks later, one inmate from the group that had tested negative in April, began showing symptoms and then tested positive.
“This was a trigger for us to retest any inmate who had previously tested negative,” Arkoosh explained.
That testing occurred on May 21 and a total of 716 inmates were tested and 90 inmates tested positive. The individuals were isolated and their contacts were quarantined.
“All of those inmates remain stable,” Arkoosh said.
The entire staff at the facility was retested between May 28 and May 29. Of the 400 individuals tested, eight correctional facility employees and seven medical staff tested positive, according to officials. All were placed in isolation and their direct work contacts were quarantined.
Since the May testing, there were no new cases of COVID-19 identified in the general population at the jail until Aug. 2.
“Working with PrimeCare, the medical provider for the facility, we will undertake a third round of testing of inmates and all staff in the correctional facility beginning later this week,” Arkoosh said.
During the last several months, court and jail officials implemented measures to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19 at the jail, including previously declaring state of emergency operations and limiting visitors. Authorities have also tried to reduce the jail population without threatening public safety.
Since the March 12 emergency judicial order was enacted, the prison population, as of Wednesday, had been reduced by 524 individuals, from 1,342 to 818, which is a 39-percent decrease.
The reductions were achieved by the courts through a combination of early parole for eligible inmates, electronic monitoring for those nonviolent inmates on work release, expediting administrative dispositions for probation violations and deferral of weekend sentences, officials said.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, officials reported 40 more individuals tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the county’s total number of cases to 10,642 since March 7, when the first two cases of the virus were identified in the county.
The new positive individuals included 27 females and 13 males, who ranged in age from 6 to 72 and resided in 23 municipalities, according to the latest statistics.
The county’s death toll from the virus stands at 826.
Overall, officials said, county residents continue to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the county.
“But our data does show a small uptick in numbers, which reminds us that we cannot let up. Keeping the spread of the virus low will enable our businesses to stay open, facilitate our children returning to inperson school and keep our hospitals and first responders safe,” Arkoosh said.
The overall 14-day positivity rate, as of Aug. 21, was 3.07 percent, according to the commissioners’ data. Last week, the positivity rate was 2.82 percent.
“This is something to keep a very close eye on. This definitely serves as a reminder that this virus is very much still with us and is still extremely contagious,” Arkoosh said.
Health officials believe having a positivity rate
“This is the first death from COVID-19 at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.” - Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Valerie Arkoosh
less than 5 percent indicates the county is controlling the spread of the virus and keeping it suppressed. To keep the positivity rate below 5-percent, Arkoosh stressed residents should continue to abide by all mask wearing, handwashing and social distancing recommendations.
“In terms of our hospital beds we’re holding steady,” said Arkoosh, adding that on Wednesday, 48 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county and only seven of the individuals required a ventilator.
At the peak of the pandemic in April, the county reported several hundred hospitalizations.
Officials said testing is available for all county residents and those who work in the county and want or need to be tested. The county has established outdoor walk-up testing sites in Pottstown, Norristown, Lansdale, Willow Grove, Ardmore and Green Lane to accommodate those who want to be tested.
The county-run sites provide self-administered tests at no cost, although insurance will be billed if you have it. The sites do require an appointment for testing.
To register for a test at any of the six sites, residents can visit www.montcopa.org/COVID-19 and click on the county testing information button. Residents can also register for a test at any of the six sites by calling 610-970-2937.
That phone number as well as the online registration will open at 8:30 a.m. daily.
In Pottstown, the testing site is located at the county’s Office of Public Health Pottstown Health Center at 364 King St. Testing is available by appointment Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
In Norristown, a testing site is located on the parking lot of the Delaware Valley Community Health Norristown Regional Health Center at 1401 DeKalb St. Testing is available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
In Lansdale, a testing site is located at 421 Main St. and is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m.
Another testing site is located at Deep Creek and Snyder roads in the Green Lane Park area, where tests are available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m.
In Ardmore, a testing site is located at 114 W. Lancaster Avenue where testing is available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m.
In Willow Grove, testing is available at First Baptist Church - Crestmont, 1678 Fairview Ave. Testing there is available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“In terms of our hospital beds we’re holding steady.” - Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Valerie Arkoosh