At least two dozen inmates and employees have tested positive for COVID-19 in Hamilton County jails, though the full count is unknown.
Numbers provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in response to a Times Free Press request on Thursday show that 10 inmates, five employees and one contract employee at the Silverdale Detention Facility have active COVID-19. They have been quarantined per Hamilton County Health Department and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
When asked the same day, CoreCivic, the private company that operates the Silverdale facility, reported that an additional six staff members had previously been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have since recovered have from the virus, totaling 12 known cases among 160 employees. The company declined to provide a total number of past and present cases among inmates.
“Since even before any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our facilities, including Silverdale Detention Center, we have rigorously followed the guidance of local, state and federal health authorities, as well as our government partners,” CoreCivic spokeswoman Amanda Gilchrist wrote. “We have responded to this unprecedented situation appropriately, thoroughly and with care for the safety and well-being of those entrusted to us and our communities.”
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said Friday that he is not sure if the county will be releasing a total number of cases among the just over 1,000 inmates at Silverdale, but told the Times Free Press that the numbers are “telling” regarding how well the county has handled the pandemic in the jails.