Commissioner points to the low rate of cases among 4,200 inmates
The Delaware Department of Correction reported on actions taken after additional inmates tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).
Tested were 45 inmates from a minimum housing unit at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center (JTVCC) where four other inmates have tested positive for coronavirus over the past five days.
Of the 45 inmates tested, many with underlying medical issues, eight are positive. All eight inmates are asymptomatic, with no fever, cough or other known symptoms of the virus.
The tests were conducted at DOC’s request by its contract healthcare provider on Friday, with the results provided late Saturday evening.
Seven of the eight inmates, who had been moved on Tuesday to single cells and provided face masks, were transported to the Vaughn COVID-19 treatment center building, along with two other COVID-19 positive inmates previously housed in the prison infirmary.
One inmate who tested positive last week remains in the hospital in stable condition, with non-life-threatening conditions and is not on a ventilator. One inmate who tested positive last week remains in the prison infirmary in stable condition. One inmate who tested positive last evening was taken to the hospital as a precaution for monitoring with no COVID-19 symptoms.
“Credit goes to DOC’s healthcare provider Centurion for expediting delivery of the COVID-19 tests and to our dedicated team of medical professionals who tested the at-risk inmates so that we could get the results turned around in less than 20 hours,” said DOC Commissioner Claire DeMatteis. “Had we not taken this preventative step, we may not have known for days, a week or longer, if ever, of these asymptomatic results.”
DeMatteis said, “It is important to keep in perspective that with 4,200 inmates under DOC custody in Level V prison facilities, three-tenths of one percent have tested positive – all contained in one housing unit at one correctional facility. None are life-threatening and eight have no symptoms.”
DOC also announced that one additional correctional officer at Vaughn has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing to 11 the total number of officers to text positive for the illness. The officer is isolating at home.
