Inmate Coronavirus Cases Plummet At Essex Jail: Sheriff

MIDDLETON, MA — Two weeks after ordering tests for all inmates, staff and vendors of the Essex County jail system due to an outbreak at the Middleton prison, Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger said active cases have dropped significantly.

The Sheriff's office said the active case count at the Essex County Jail in Middleton stood at 15 on Thursday compared to a recent high of 137.

"We used testing as an investigatory tool to identify positive cases and isolate those carriers of the virus," Coppinger said in a statement. "Once we identified the positive cases, our healthcare provider WellPath monitored each person daily, provided care and comfort, and made the determination of who was medically recovered according to strict state and federal guidelines."

The increase at the end of September led to the directive to test each inmate, corrections officer, staff member and vendor. Of the 1,700 tests conducted between Oct. 3 and Oct. 6, Coppinger said 137 cases were discovered.

Coppinger said no inmates needed to be hospitalized due to the illness and 72 percent showed no symptoms.

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said at a news conference on Friday positive tests from Salem residents working at the prison contributed to that city's rise in coronavirus numbers in recent weeks.

Coppinger said inmates testing positive were isolated in a separate housing unit and had to be medically cleared to return to their normal housing housing units.

Coppinger said there were no inmate positive cases found at the Essex Pre-Release and Re-Entry Center in Lawrence and the Women in Transition program in Salisbury.

"As a correctional facility, we make no determinations in medical care and we leave those decisions in the very capable hands of WellPath," Coppinger said.

Related Patch Coverage: 168 Essex Inmates, Staff Test Positive For Coronavirus: Sheriff

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