06/26/2020 8 p.m. UPDATE— The state Division of Corrections updated testing numbers from Huttonsville Prison Monday night.
76 positive
341 negative
656 tests are still pending
1073 total inmates
990 in quarantine
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There are more confirmed COVID-19 cases at Huttonsville State Prison in Randolph County.
State officials said Tuesday there are now 39 inmates and eight workers who have tested positive.
Initially after one inmate tested positive last week, tests were administered to everyone on the victim’s block at the prison. Out of 40 inmates tested on that block, 25 were confirmed to have the virus. Eight staff also tested positive int hat initial round. Gov.Jim Justice said during his Tuesday morning media briefing that after he learned of the high numbers Friday he ordered everyone tested.
“We do expect as these thousand plus tests come back that number is going to rise. We’re on it,” he said.
So far nine new positives have been identified out of 1,029 tests performed on the rest of the prison population. Those nine were among inmates. Officials said no new staff members tested positive. Several hundred of the tests from the prison are pending.
“We’re hoping to have the remaining test results back in the next several days and we’ll plan our policy and our response accordingly,” said Betsy Jividen, state corrections commissioner.
The Division of Corrections is working closely with other state agencies to coordinate response to the positive cases and trying to isolate the virus as best they can, Jividen said.
“We are doing our best as we enter this phase and we do have positive cases in our facilities to be pro-active and to protect the health of both our inmate population and our staff,” Jividen said.
Jividen said until now, the system had been following CDC protocol and testing all inmates who exhibited symptoms and followed procedures for normal screening. Until last week, there had been no positives within the prison.
Gov. Justice defended the system for going this long without an outbreak.
“From late February, all through March and all through April and up until a week ago, it really is terrific. We had zero positives,” he said.