By Gordon Y.K. Pang
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
HONOLULU, Hawaii — Two of 151 tests administered to inmates at Oahu Community Correctional Center came back positive for COVID-19 Friday as the first phase of testing winds down, state officials said.
An unofficial running tally of the daily numbers shows that, in all, there have been 225 positive results out of 870 tests conducted through mass testing that began on Aug. 11, a positive rate of 25.86%.
Toni Schwartz, Department of Public Safety spokeswoman, said all inmates at the Kalihi facility have now been tested at least once. The latest head count at OCCC showed 973 inmates, so results have yet to come in for the final 103 or so remaining inmates.
Counting positive results from before mass testing, DPS is now reporting 242 total positive cases among inmates.
Public Safety also reported that in voluntary testing among OCCC adult corrections officers and other staff, only one positive COVID-19 case was returned from the latest 49 test results. Of 306 known tests among OCCC staff, 24 came back positive, a rate of 7.84%. Out of about 500 uniformed and non-uniformed OCCC employees, 43 total positive cases have been reported, Schwartz said.
Among the inmate test results, the rate of infection was significantly higher during the early days of testing. For instance, 70 of 110 results reported on Aug. 13 were positive, or 64.64%.
Schwartz said that’s because “hot spot” living quarters tested first were those where there were greater numbers of people showing symptoms.
The Department of Health will conduct follow-up tests of all inmates in the coming weeks, she said.
———
©2020 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser