An inmate at the Goose Creek Correctional Center tested positive for COVID-19 Saturday night, officials from the Department of Corrections said.
This is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in an inmate, although there are other inmates still awaiting test results, according to a statement from the department. Four inmates have been tested at Goose Creek Correctional Center, and the department said one test was negative while two are pending.
Staff and inmates were notified of the positive case late Saturday night, officials said. It was confirmed around 9 p.m.
The department and staff at Goose Creek Correctional Facility are working with state epidemiologists to establish a contact investigation. The inmate has been in isolation since April 19, although the statement does not say when he was tested for the virus.
As of March 30, there were 1,411 inmates at the correctional center, according to data from the University of Alaska’s Justice Information Center. The medium-security prison has 1,535 beds total, of which 16 are reserved for medical segregation.
Statewide, 63 inmates have been tested for COVID-19. Eight tests are still pending and 54 inmates have tested negative for the virus, the statement said.
The Department of Corrections took additional steps last month to prevent COVID-19 from entering a correctional facility. Staff members undergo temperature checks prior to each shift and inmates are screened prior to transfers, according to a statement from the department. In-person visits were cancelled and facilities halted all non-essential activities.
Prisons present challenges because they are “by nature, congregate settings,” the statement said. Across the country, 799 federal inmates and 319 staff members had tested positive for COVID-19 at 62 facilities as of April 24, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Twenty-seven inmates died after contracting the virus.
There have been 341 confirmed COVID-19 cases throughout Alaska, including two cases announced Sunday. The Department of Health and Social Services announced a resident at a Sitka long-term care facility tested positive for the virus and one person in North Pole was also confirmed to have COVID-19.
It’s the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Sitka. City and Borough officials said the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium Sitka Long-Term Care resident was immediately isolated and transferred to Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center.
As of Sunday, 217 Alaskans are known to have recovered from the virus and nine have died.
Although the Department of Corrections announced the inmate had tested positive Sunday, the case will included in the count of new cases announced Monday.
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