County adds 38 new COVID-19 cases over three days, 28 at prison

PUTNAMVILLE — A week after a large spike in cases at Putnamville Correctional Facility, positive COVID-19 tests at the prison and in the county are still on the rise, though the increase has slowed.

After leveling off for a few days immediately after the county added 43 new cases last Thursday, Putnam County added 38 new positive cases over a three-day period — 21 on Monday, nine on Tuesday and eight on Wednesday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

Like last week, a large percentage of these can likely be attributed to the prison, which saw an increase of 28 cases among inmates over the same three days, according to numbers released Thursday by the Indiana Department of Correction.

Of these, 36 have recovered.

Meanwhile, 170 Putnamville prisoners are in isolation, which separates those who may hae a contageous disease.

A total of 482 offenders are in quarantine, the step taken to separate prisoners who may have been exposed.

Putnamville has also added three new positive cases among staff members since last week.

In all, 4,310 tests have been administered to Putnam County residents.

A total of 328 Putnam County residents have now tested positive since late March, most of whom have recovered.

The last COVID-19 death of a county resident came on May 30.