As of May 28th 2020, CDCR facilities have reported 1,220 COVID-19 cases and have tested 11,940 individuals. There have been 9 deaths associated with the California Institute for Men (CIM), located in Chino in San Bernardino County. The number of deaths at CIM has remained stagnant since May 25th. CIM also leads in the number of confirmed cases and testing rates, which are 635 and 3,373 respectively. There are no deaths reported at other facilities, however, the total number of cases across California’s carceral facilities are rising significantly.
The number of cases at Avenal State Prison (ASP) in Kings County continues to rise steeply. As of May 19th, ASP had reported zero positive cases and within 10 days that number has increased to 198 positive cases. ASP’s testing count was only 21 as of May 19th, and has now increased to 458. While ASP has not reported any deaths associated with the virus, the sudden surge in positive cases alludes to possible negligence and mismanagement by the facility.
Despite not reporting any positive cases, Folsom State Prison (FSP) in Represa and Sacramento State Prison (SAC) in Folsom, both in Sacramento County, have continued to test individuals for the virus. FSP has reported testing 161 individuals, which reflects a 32% increase in testing since last week. Similarly, SAC reports testing 80 individuals, and this reflects a 48% increase in testing since last week.
There are zero confirmed cases in CDCR facilities located in Marin County, Solano County, Sacramento County, Amador County & San Joaquin County. Following patterns in Sacramento County, facilities in these five counties are continuing to test individuals for the virus.
Note: The definition of tested aligns with that prescribed by Johns Hopkins University. Patients are considered to be tested only when the test result is returned, i.e. the testing count reported by a facility includes the total number of tests for which results have returned, and not the total number of tests administered.
Source: The California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports COVID-19 information through a daily dashboard that is accessible here – https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/covid19/population-status-tracking/.
Compiled and written by Aparna Komarla
