COVID-19 outbreak at Whatcom County Jail spreads to corrections deputies
The Whatcom County Jail in downtown Bellingham has seen a COVID-19 outbreak the past few days that has spread to 10 corrections deputies and one person housed at the jail.
Since late in 2020, all corrections deputies at the jail have been tested for COVID weekly, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Bellingham Herald in an emailed statement Wednesday, Aug. 18. One of the deputies tested positive on Saturday, Aug. 14.
“Over the following three days, additional corrections deputies tested positive during their weekly screening,” Slater’s statement said. “We began working with the Whatcom County Health Department to track down the source of the infection.
“At this time, it appears that the infection may have started with an individual who was uncooperative at the time of booking. This individual refused to answer any health-related questions or take a rapid COVID-19 test and demonstrated uncontrolled behavior during the booking process.
“The individual was initially isolated from other offenders due to their behavior and unknown COVID-19 status. Since that time, they have agreed to be tested and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. The individual is now in medical isolation, receiving medical treatment.”
Several corrections deputies were involved in the initial booking, Slater reported, and as of Wednesday 10 had tested positive for COVID-19.
“All have been placed on medical leave. No one, including the offender, appears to have serious symptoms,” Slater reported.
The sheriff’s office’s Corrections Bureau has since increased its rapid testing of deputies to daily, and additional personal protective equipment protocols have been put in place, according to Slater.
Those being booked into the jail are rapid-tested during the booking process, unless they are uncooperative or refuse, Slater reported, in which case they are placed in medical quarantine until they are cleared by the jail’s health care team. Under the protocol put in place in January, anybody booked into the jail who tests positive is placed in medical quarantine and receives treatment.
That testing protocol flagged three people being booked into the jail in February, preventing them from exposing the general population at the jail.
“We are thankful the weekly screening system that was in place detected the positive cases early and allowed immediate action to be taken,” Slater’s statement read.
Because the corrections deputies are unable to work while they recover from COVID, Slater reported there may be some service delays from corrections staff. Those in the jail are still making their court dates through a remote court appearance method that began being used last year.
“We ask the public’s patience as we work to make the adjustments in workload to cover essential duties while compensating for the reduced staffing,” Slater’s statement read.
As of Monday, Aug. 16, the sheriff’s office reported that 147 people were being housed at the downtown jail and another 67 at the Work Center.
The Work Center had an outbreak that affected 37 people in January, leading to some of the testing protocols now in place at the jail.
