Outbreak of COVID-19 and Interventions in a Large Jail – Cook County, IL, United States, 2020

Details

• Personal Author:
  Armstrong PA ; Bahls A ; Binder AM ; Black SR ; Fitzgerald A ; Ghinai I ; Gubser J ; Jones B ; Kirbiyik U ; Levin R ; Mennella C ; Orris, Peter ; Rafinski J ; Samala U ; Smith MB ; Varela, Kate ; Welbel S ; Zawitz C
• Description:
  Background: Correctional and detention facilities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 due to shared space, contact between staff and detained persons, and movement within facilities. On March 18, 2020, Cook County Jail, one of the United States' largest, identified its first suspected case of COVID-19 in a detained person. Methods: This analysis includes SARS-CoV-2 cases confirmed by molecular detection among detained persons and Cook County Sheriff's Office staff. We examined occurrence of symptomatic cases in each building and proportions of asymptomatic detained persons testing positive, and timing of interventions including social distancing, mask use, and expanded testing and show outbreak trajectory in the jail compared to case counts in Chicago. Results: During March 1-April 30, 907 symptomatic and asymptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were detected among detained persons (n = 628) and staff (n = 279). Among asymptomatic detained persons in quarantine, 23.6% tested positive. Programmatic activity and visitation stopped March 9, cells were converted into single occupancy beginning March 26, and universal masking was implemented for staff (April 2) and detained persons (April 13). Cases at the jail declined while cases in Chicago increased. Discussion/conclusions: Aggressive intervention strategies coupled with widespread diagnostic testing of detained and staff populations can limit introduction and mitigate transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection in correctional and detention facilities. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Correctional Facilities Diagnosis Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Public Health Risk Assessment Safety Viral Diseases
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: COVID Case Reports Coronavirus Correctional Facilities Correctional Health Correction Institutions COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests Disease Control Disease Incidence Disease Transmission Humans Infection Control Infectious Diseases Intervention Intervention Effectiveness Interventions Outbreak Prison Workers Protective Equipment Protective Measures Public Health Risk Management SARS-CoV-2 Viral Diseases

  More +
• ISSN:
  0196-6553
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Illinois ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  49
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062525
• Citation:
  Am J Infect Control 2021 Sep; 49(9):1129-1135
• Contact Point Address:
  Paige Armstrong, MD, MHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329
• Email:
  YZU9@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Infection Control
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:16a026aaf7c84b0aaf4e2df6e6c80bc91f83e654cb424f6994f5ebfe694d34426444e73f4f3f394514c15082d3930458abc204d434119b7dd73478caed83b475
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225757/cdc_225757_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.11 MB ]