Multnomah County Public Health has confirmed that 109 adults in custody at Inverness Jail have now tested positive for COVID-19.
Those individuals with a positive test are being monitored closely for signs of severe illness and have 24/7 access to medical care. Corrections Health reports that the small number of people who have developed symptoms are mostly reporting mild symptoms. There have been no deaths among those in custody.
The jail is a short-term detention facility with people frequently moving in and out. Screening efforts at booking and during the first 14 days of incarceration at Multnomah County have been effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19 for much of the pandemic, but any infection in the large, open dorms at the Inverness Jail is challenging to control. The number of cases reflect almost exclusively asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic individuals who were only identified through the testing protocols recommended by public health.
Corrections Health has given frequent rapid tests to anyone exposed to a known positive case. Everyone with a positive test is being isolated as a group and separated from people who tested negative.
All adults in quarantine will continue to be screened daily for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, with additional testing planned.
In addition, the County has prioritized vaccinating adults in custody as part of its efforts to vaccinate people who live in congregate care facilities, where staffing, spacing and underlying health conditions put them at greater risk.
On Feb. 2, Public Health vaccinated 108 adults in custody at Inverness and began planning a vaccine clinic at the Multnomah County Detention Center. The County will be offering vaccines at both jails as they become available.