HUNTINGDON, Pa. (WJAC) — Huntingdon County has seen a steady increase in cases for weeks, but Thursday the county’s totals jumped significantly.
The Department of Corrections is reporting 108 cases among inmates at SCI Huntingdon.
Huntingdon County EMA Director Joe Thompson says he’s been in constant contact with both the Department of Corrections and the Department of Health during the pandemic and the one day spike in cases isn’t as alarming as it may seem.
“According to our figures this morning, we increased by 49 cases in one day,” said Thompson. “That does look, and it is dramatic to an extent.”
The Department of Corrections reports 108 inmate coronavirus cases and 32 cases among staff at SCI Huntingdon.
The Department of Health is reporting 109 cases across the entire county.
Department representatives say inmate cases are counted toward county totals, but staff are counted based on their residence.
The Department of Corrections says staff testing is self-reported and not completed at the facility.
EMA Director Joe Thompson says the Department of Health tells him the one day jump in numbers was due to lag time in results from a third-party lab.
“That was basically a reconciliation of the cases that were pending tests that started to come in and now in one day that case number has jumped,” Thompson said.
The DOC did not comment on potential lag in testing other than to say results must be forwarded to the Department of Health in 24 hours.
Thompson says the Department of Health is now conducting the testing for SCI Huntingdon at their lab, something the DOC could not confirm.
A DOC spokesperson says Huntingdon SCI was built in 1889 and its design presents challenges, but they are limiting inmate movement and isolating inmates with symptoms. They’ve also begun contact tracing utilizing surveillance footage.
“SCI Huntingdon has put together a very extensive mitigation and response plan. Some of which does include treating potential patients and confirmed patients specifically in the facility,” said Thompson.
The DOC says the prison’s gym has been set up as an infirmary for patients. Multiple inmates were transported to a local hospital -- something Thompson says required local EMS assistance.
“There have been at least two confirmed COVID-19 patients transported from the institution,” said Thompson.
Thompson says the county has worked with local and state agencies to plan for potential emergency transports from any facility including the prison. He is encouraging first responders to use personal protective equipment on every call, and he says the county’s supplies are adequate. Thompson says the goal is to keep everyone safe.
“It increases our role,” Thompson explained. “Our role of having to plan for the impact of this outbreak if any. That’s everything from emergency responders to the citizens, to our local hospitals. Everything you can imagine.”
The Huntingdon County commissioners say the spike in cases is contained to the prison and they don’t want residents to be overly alarmed. They fear the spread in the prison will affect their chances to reopen sooner.
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