AP Photo / John Locher
This April 15, 2015, photo shows guard towers at High Desert State Prison in Indian Springs.
Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 | 11:01 a.m.
CARSON CITY — The Nevada Department of Corrections has taken additional measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within prisons, including ordering the first hospital-grade disinfectant fogger for a correctional center in Carson City, health officials said.
The department has ordered additional machines to be distributed that can be used to sanitize common areas and individual cells, officials said.
The department has also changed protocols regarding the use of personal protective equipment and is requiring all staff to wear N95 masks while within six feet of inmates for more than 15 minutes, officials said.
The state is working with the department to secure N95 masks for all staff and inmates.
Department Medical Director Dr. Michael Minev said inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who were potentially exposed are being separated by way of isolation “due to the rapid rise of COVID-19 infection within our facilities.”
The department is also going to pair staff who have recovered from the coronavirus with inmates who have not yet contracted the virus or who are among those most at risk.
Health officials have reported 2,442 inmates and 561 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, about 21% of the population across all facilities. There are currently 1,624 active virus cases among inmates and 205 among staff. Eight offenders and two employees have died.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
The number of overall infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
