Health Department says prison in Salisbury latest site of COVID-19 outbreak – Salisbury Post
SALISBURY — COVID-19 cases at Piedmont Correctional Institution have grown to 26, according to data released Sunday by the Rowan County Health Department.
The cases include 24 inmates and two employees, according to the Health Department. The prison is now considered an active outbreak — two or more lab-confirmed cases in a congregate living setting. Among the eight local outbreaks, the prison is the only one that’s not a nursing home or residential care facility.
State data does not appear to reflect the increase in cases. The N.C. Department of Public Safety maintains a website for COVID-19 positives at prisons and says it will update numbers daily at 3 p.m. The number for Piedmont on Sunday evening reflected 49 total cases, which includes cases from previous months. On Wednesday, when prison officials said there were seven positives, the number was 48.
Piedmont Correctional is a designated intake facility where new offenders from county jails are processed to being their prison sentences. Last week, N.C. Department of Public Safety spokesman John Bull said three inmates who were transferred into the facility were placed in medical isolation, and it wasn’t clear Sunday how the outbreak had grown from the seven active cases last week.
Piedmont’s medical isolation and medical quarantine protocols include that offenders who test positive are moved into medical isolation and their housing units are placed under medical quarantine for close observation and twice daily temperature checks, Bull said.
The addition of Piedmont Correctional Institute to the list of COVID-19 outbreaks on Sunday came as there were small or no changes in other virus-related data for the community. There have been 3,329 COVID-19 positives, an increase of 17 from the day prior, and 100 deaths, which was unchanged from one day earlier. On Sunday, there were 18 people hospitalized and 378 cases considered currently active.
Rowan County remains among the top five counties for deaths.
Rowan also has more total and active COVID-19 cases than all but Cabarrus County, according to data from local health departments. The Cabarrus Health Alliance says there are 4,003 total cases, 464 active cases, 19 people hospitalized and 71 deaths there.
Local testing locations for COVID-19 are as follows this week:
West End Plaza
1935 W Jake Alexander Blvd, Salisbury
Monday, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Testing is free and open to the public
Spencer Community Testing – Park Plaza
400 N Salisbury Ave. Spencer
Thursday, 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Testing is free and open to the public
CVS
1924 Statesville Blvd, Salisbury
Must schedule appointment online
cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-assessment
Novant Health Rowan
1904 Jake Alexander Blvd., Salisbury
Call 704-210-7845 for an appointment
Testing criteria may apply
