Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Dauphin County Prison finds 13 positive COVID-19 cases among inmates, staff

Dauphin County Prison in Swatara Township

Dauphin County Prison has discovered 13 positive COVID-19 cases among inmates and staff, the county said on Thursday night.

The cases were detected following facility-wide testing that occurred on Wednesday and Thursday. The positive cases include eight prisoners and five staff members, who were all symptom-free, according to a prepared release by the county.

The inmates who tested positive have been placed in an isolation unit, while staff members who tested positive were sent home and told to quarantine for 14 days, the county said.

The county stated that it received the results for 726 tests on Thursday evening from PrimeCare Medical, which performed the testing. The far majority, 713, tested negative for the virus.

The results of several hundred additional tests are expected within the next 48 hours.

In all, 1,098 people were tested, including 760 inmates and 338 staff, the county stated.

This was the first facility-wide testing of the prison. According to the county, “several” inmates who were potentially showing symptoms have been tested previously for COVID-19, but all those tests came back negative.

In March, after the pandemic broke, Dauphin County Prison began taking preventive measures such as taking temperatures those who entered the facility, suspending in-person visitation, and providing personal protective equipment to staff and inmates, the county said.

Additionally, inmate transfers to and from the prison have been suspended until further notice. The transfer suspension began on April 11.

Continue Reading