As Covid-19 infections surge across California, state correctional facilities have recorded more than 4,000 active cases among inmates and another 1,430 among staff — the highest numbers recorded since the pandemic’s start.
That means California’s total number of inmate infections is now up to more than 22,300, including 90 deaths.
That translates to about 227 Covid-19 cases per 1,000 over the course of the pandemic — or some 20% of the total inmate population, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Statewide among the public, that number is about 32 cases per 1,000 people.
The soaring numbers across prison facilities come as local and state officials are also trying to control a rampant spread across California’s communities. On Friday, the state shattered its previous case record, reporting more than 22,000 new cases. Hospitalizations are also at record-high levels, with more than 9,900 Covid-19 patients across the state — about 2,200 of whom are in intensive care units.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying the state was at “a tipping point in our fight against the virus,” announced a strict regional stay-at-home order this week, which will go into effect 48 hours after ICU capacity drops below 15% in one of five regions, Northern California, the Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, the San Joaquin Valley or Southern California.
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