OGDEN — An inmate at the Weber County jail tested positive for COVID-19 last week in what authorities say could be a case of possible reinfection.
The inmate also tested positive for the virus in July but never presented symptoms, officials from the Weber County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
Months later, on Oct. 9, the individual displayed a sore throat and received a test for COVID-19, which came back positive the next day.
The inmate was tested in July after the jail experienced an outbreak with more than 80 inmates testing positive. Mass testing was completed in response to the positive cases.
The jail saw its first positive case on June 21 and before last week had no active cases since Aug. 26.
Officials don’t yet know how this inmate contracted the virus, and the inmate has since been moved to medical isolation under the care of medical staff.
Mass testing will again be conducted for anyone exposed to the patient.
While officials aren’t yet sure if this is a case of the rare COVID-19 reinfection cases, the sheriff’s office did say it was possible.
Earlier this week, health officials confirmed a 25-year-old Nevada man had gotten sick with COVID-19 twice and ultimately recovered both times. While health officials say reinfection is possible, it is considered extremely rare.
The sheriff’s office will work with health professionals to determine if this case was a reinfection.
For now, the jail is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and treating the case as a new infection.
“Managing COVID in a correctional facility is challenging,” authorities with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. “We appreciate the efforts of all staff, including our medical provider, Vital Core Health Strategies, who have risen to the occasion to confront this challenge head-on.”
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Lauren Bennett