Four staff workers at the Thurston County Correctional Facility have tested positive for COVID-19 in the latest outbreak at the jail, according to Public Health and Social Services.
This is the third outbreak at the facility since August 2020. PHSS started testing all employees over the weekend after learning one staff member had tested positive on June 10, according to county spokesperson Magen Johnson.
Two additional staff members tested positive on June 11 and a fourth on Monday, Johnson wrote.
“Case investigations and contact tracing is underway for these cases,” Johnson wrote.
PHSS has started testing the incarcerated population, according to Johnson. Incarcerated individuals who may have been exposed will be quarantined and those who test positive or experience symptoms will be held in isolation, she wrote.
The results from this round of testing are expected later this week, according to Johnson.
Sheriff John Snaza acknowledged the outbreak on Wednesday.
He told The Olympian only two of the staff members who have tested positive could have been in contact with each other. The other two worked separate shifts.
Snaza said the facility has continued to take precautions, but positive tests have repeatedly emerged since August 2020.
“Even though we are wearing masks every day and we have all the (personal protective equipment), it’s still coming into the facility,” Snaza said. “I guess that’s probably the most frustrating part. We’re following all the protocols but it’s still there.”
The vaccination status of staff and incarcerated individuals at the jail is unknown at this time, Johnson wrote.
However, Snaza said he estimates about half of staff and incarcerated individuals have been vaccinated so far.
Among his sheriff deputies, he said he estimates about 40% have voluntarily disclosed that they have been vaccinated.
When asked if his employees’ vaccination rate may have contributed to the outbreak, Snaza refused to say either way.
He said it’s hard to prevent outbreaks when so many lawyers, inmates, staff, deputies and visitors move through the facility daily.
“It’s just one of those things where, because you’re in a confined space like that and you have a lot of movement, obviously it makes it more subject to being exposed to COVID more,” Snaza said.
Snaza said he is not sure why such large percentages of his staff have not been vaccinated.
However, he did say that some people have expressed “philosophical” opposition and others have been skeptical of the encouragement from elected officials.
In a Friday letter to the community, Health Officer Dimyana Abdelmalek encouraged anyone who has not been vaccinated yet to get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they previously tested positive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends anyone who is eligible to be vaccinated even if they have previously recovered from COVID-19.
“Getting the vaccine will not only increase your protection but it also helps your community and reduces the likelihood of disease transmission,” Abdelmalek wrote.
For his part, Snaza said he has not been vaccinated yet, but he is leaning toward going forward with it. Snaza tested positive for COVID-19 in January amidst another outbreak at the county jail, but did not experience any symptoms.
He said he feels he needs to do more research on the vaccine as it relates to his personal health, but added he is starting to feel it’s the right thing to do.
According to the CDC, experts are still unsure how long someone who has recovered from COVID-19 may be protected from getting COVID-19 again.
Studies have indicated that vaccines can boost protection in people who have recovered from COVID-19, according to the CDC.
PHSS conducted a vaccination event at the county jail on May 5 and administered 75 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to Johnson.
The jail also has a healthcare service provider that is approved to administer vaccines to incarcerated individuals on an ongoing basis, Johnson wrote.
