Whatcom County Jail dealing with COVID-19 outbreak among inmates, staff
The Whatcom County Jail in downtown Bellingham has been dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak since last week that has sickened more than a dozen people, according to Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Corrections Wendy Jones.
On Tuesday, Nov. 23, jail staff were alerted that a person incarcerated in the downtown jail was reporting symptoms that could be the coronavirus, Jones told The Bellingham Herald Wednesday, Dec. 1. A rapid test was done and returned positive, she said.
Jail medical staff were notified and the rest of the inmates in the person’s housing unit were also tested. Several more incarcerated people either tested positive on a rapid test or reported symptoms associated with COVID-19 in the following days, Jones said.
As of Wednesday, 11 people incarcerated in the downtown jail and two contract jail staff have tested positive for the coronavirus, Jones said.
Twenty-seven other inmates have been moved into quarantine and are being tested regularly, she said. The testing will continue until each person is cleared by medical staff, Jones said.
None of the incarcerated people or staff have reported serious symptoms and no one has needed hospital care, Jones said.
The sheriff’s office is working with the Whatcom County Health Department in an attempt to determine the source, but Jones said that may be difficult due to the movement of people in and out of the facility and staff and professional visitors, Jones said.
Because they are using rapid tests, they don’t identify whether COVID-19 variants are present, just if the person has the coronavirus, Jones said.
“For us, it only matters whether or not they have COVID of any type,” she said.
The jail has protocols in place that include testing of all new people booked, testing all jail staff as they start their workweeks, and immediate testing of anyone reporting symptoms and isolating the person until they are cleared by medical staff.
Jail policy also requires that all staff wear face masks, that people incarcerated in the jail wear face masks when they are out of their housing units and that all professionals or visitors entering the jail or work center also wear face masks, Jones said.
The jail does not have any internal policies or mandates requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for staff working there, but vaccination is encouraged, Jones said.
If an incarcerated person has tested positive but is released from jail, they are given information about coronavirus symptoms, how to take care of themselves, what to watch for, and are given reminders that they need to be in medical isolation for up to 14 days, depending on when they tested positive, she said.
The sheriff’s office started participating in a program in October to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to people incarcerated in the jail. The program, called “Shots for Soup,” allows an inmate who wants to be vaccinated the opportunity to get the vaccine, and they are also given 10 packets of ramen noodles, which is one of the more popular items on the commissary list, Jones said.
She said they have vaccinated approximately 200 people as part of the program — an idea they borrowed from the Benton County Jail. Jones said the jail is a state vaccination site, so all basic immunizations are provided to people incarcerated there.
The downtown Whatcom County Jail saw another COVID-19 outbreak in mid-August that spread to 10 corrections deputies and at least one person housed at the jail, The Herald previously reported.
In late January, a coronavirus outbreak at the jail Work Center on Division Street affected at least 37 people, according to the county health department.
As of Monday, Nov. 29, 170 people were incarcerated at the downtown jail and 57 were incarcerated at the work center, according to the sheriff’s office.
