First Whatcom County inmates test positive for Covid-19 in work center

More than 70 percent the inmates at the county’s Interim Work Center have tested positive for Covid-19 following an outbreak at the minimum security facility in Bellingham.

A work center inmate reported mild Covid-19 symptoms at 5:30 p.m. on January 19 and was immediately placed in medical isolation, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office reported the next evening. Another nine inmates living in the same dormitory out of a total of 15 then tested positive following the first case. Twenty-four more additional positive cases emerged in units other than the original dormitory for a total case count of 34 out of the facility’s total population of 48 inmates, sheriff’s office spokesperson Deb Slater said.

Inmates are assigned to the work center by order of the judge hearing the individual cases.

The sheriff’s office has restricted jail bookings to ensure the work center and main jail populations are reduced by one-third capacity.

Offenders are screened for symptoms when being booked into jail and PPE is available for inmates and staff.

Chief of corrections Wendy Jones previously told The Northern Light that the sheriff’s office collected enough PPE last January for every inmate and jail staff.

The 34 who tested positive are receiving medical supervision while in isolation, the sheriff’s office said. No jail staff is being quarantined at this time, Slater said.

The 48 offenders and 28 staff at the work center are being tested twice per week.

One person who tested positive was released through a coordinated effort with the health department and a second is in the process of being released, Slater said. One of the individuals had bond posted for release and the other completed their jail time, she said, adding that both had places to quarantine.

Apart from isolating individuals testing positive for Covid-19, the facility has limited ability to avoid airborne transmission of the virus. There are no negative pressure units to isolate the positive individuals from the center’s ventilation and air conditioning system used throughout the facility. However, the health department had earlier requested filters to be installed on the HVAC system which has been done.

Jones said neither the work center nor the main jail have negative pressure areas.

The work center has filters on its heating, ventilation and air conditioning system that the county health department asked to be installed.

This article has been updated from the print issue to include additional Covid-19 cases reported after press time and to correct the number of  individuals released, which was incorrect as given to The Northern Light.