PCF sees marked increase in COVID-19 cases

Thursday, August 6, 2020 ~ Updated 3:29 PM

PUTNAMVILLE — The largest single-day spike in county COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic appears to have its origin in a recent increase in cases at Putnamville Correctional Facility.

Late Thursday morning, both the Indiana State Department of Health and the Putnam County Health Department released new data showing 277 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county, an increase of 43 cases since Wednesday’s ISDH report.

While this is nearly double the 22 cases reported on May 15 — the largest single-day increase previously reported in the county — local officials also noted that only four of the new cases reported were Putnam County community members.

The other 39 new cases appear to be comprised of offenders housed at Putnamville Correctional Facility, which has seen a rapid increase in positive cases in recent days.

As of late last week, Putnamville was reporting 35 positive cases of COVID-19, with no new cases having been reported since late May.

However, with an increase of 11 positive cases as of Tuesday’s report, 31 more on Wednesday and 10 reported on Thursday, IDOC was reporting 87 cases at Putnamville as of midday Thursday.

Dr. Kristen Dauss, chief medical officer of the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC), told the Banner Graphic that prison officials began noting COVID-like symptoms in some offenders late last week.

“Really since Saturday or Sunday we’ve been keeping an eye on this,” Dauss said.

As such, IDOC officials began coordinating with the Indiana State Department of Health to increase testing at PCF.

In the last several days, more than 200 of Putnamville’s estimated 1,950 offenders have been tested, with 52 new positive tests.

The positive tests center on one particular dormitory, so a crew was brought in to perform deep cleaning and sanitizing.

Additionally, 238 offenders were in quarantine as of Thursday, a step that separates and restricts the movement of those who may have been exposed.

Meanwhile 40 others were listed as being in isolation, which separates prisoners who may have a contagious disease from those who are not sick.

Dauss noted that among the 52 prisoners who have tested positive, only four are even showing symptoms and these are mild.

“We have no one in the hospital at Putnamville at this time, for COVID or other reasons,” Dauss said. “They’re all really doing relatively well. We’re just working in an expedient manner to identify all those who may have been exposed.”

Through contact tracing, IDOC has determined that the virus was likely re-introduced to Putnamville by an asymptomatic staff member.

However, to ensure no further spread into or out of the facility at this time, visitation and transfers have been suspended at Putnamville.

“We’ve halted it. Who’s there is there,” Dauss said. “We did that just to get a better handle on things.”

All IDOC facilities developed a pandemic response plan in early March, Dauss said. “We just never had to use it at Putnamville, so now it’s just being activated.”

Besides the increased testing, cleaning and movement restrictions, Dauss said extra hygiene and educational measures are being taken.

All staff and offenders are wearing masks. Closer attention is being paid to the use of hand sanitizer, soap and hygiene products by inmates. Screening of staff members has increased.

It’s worth noting that the timetable used for reporting by IDOC appears to differ from that utilized by the ISDH and Putnam County Health Department, as the daily increases reported at the prison sometimes outpace those reported in the county as a whole.

Dauss noted that IDOC has 24 hours to report any new cases to the state.

As the situation continues to develop, she said IDOC will keep working with state and local officials.

“It’s a situation that’s developing,” Dauss said. “We are keeping an eye on it.”

Ongoing information about COVID-19 at all IDOC facilities is available at https://www.in.gov/idoc/3780.htm.

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  • When and where will the new Putnam County testing facilities be opened? Lots of people in our community work at the prison, and this could lead to a spread beyond the prison walls.

    -- Posted by SouthCounty700 on Thu, Aug 6, 2020, at 1:55 PM
    Response by Jared Jernagan, Assistant Editor, Greencastle Banner-Graphic:
    More information to be posted on this later this afternoon...
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