More than 1,100 Nevada prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19

In the past two weeks, the number of coronavirus cases among Nevada prisoners has grown by about 71 percent, as outbreaks have substantially increased at several facilities.

As of Friday, 1,103 prisoners in Department of Corrections custody have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

State officials last released a public statement regarding the pandemic inside prison facilities on Nov. 20, when there were 646 cases among prisoners. The statement came a day after advocates called for more transparency from the state regarding a growing outbreak at Warm Springs Correctional Center. That outbreak had infected the vast majority of prisoners at the facility.

Bill Quenga, the acting public information officer for the Department of Corrections, said Friday that the department intends to release another update early next week.

He said prisoner case counts are rapidly changing, especially now that Nevada has entered into a $10 million contract with Quest Diagnostics for testing in prisons and other state facilities through December. Prior to the contract, state labs were processing prison tests, with delays up to two weeks, Quenga said.

The department is now getting test results within three days, he said.

“It keeps changing daily, hourly,” he said, adding that Department of Health and Human Services data may lag a few days behind current totals from the prison, although he did not have updated totals on Friday.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, which joined prison advocates on Nov. 19 in a virtual news conference calling for more action from state officials responding to the pandemic, said Friday that it’s not surprising that cases continue to increase inside prisons.

“It just continue to get worse every day,” ACLU spokesman Wesley Juhl said. “Families are just terrified. They’re not getting the information they need to know their loved ones are taken care of.”

Quenga did not immediately respond to follow-up questions.

More outbreaks in prison facilities

When officials gave a public statement on Nov. 20, the largest outbreaks were at the Warm Springs Correctional Center and the Humboldt Conservation Camp.

Since then, cases have appeared for the first time at the Stewart Conservation Camp in Carson City, where 229 prisoners had tested positive as of Friday, according to data from the state health department.

The Pioche Conservation Camp in Lincoln County has gone from two prisoners testing positive to 91 cases, state data shows. The prisoners at the work camp account for about 39 percent of all cases in the county, which had 231 as of Friday.

The Lovelock Correctional Center in Pershing County has reported 30 additional cases since Nov. 17, with a total of 33 cases as of Friday. Cases at the prison account for about 33 percent of the 101 cases in the county, state data shows.

The Southern Desert Correctional Center, about 38 miles northwest of Las Vegas, went from five prisoner cases reported on Nov. 17 to 52 cases as of Friday.

Cases at the Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center in the northeast Las Vegas Valley have grown from three on Nov. 17 to 24 as of Friday, state data shows.

Increases also have been reported at High Desert State Prison in Clark County, where 18 new prisoner cases have been recorded since Nov. 17, raising the total to 87. Six more cases were reported during that time at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City, which now has seven cumulative cases.

Other facilities with reported cases include the Carlin Conservation Camp in Elko County, which has one case; Ely State Prison, which has 13; and the Tonopah Conservation Camp, which has one.

The outbreak at the Humboldt Conservation Camp first reported on Nov. 20 has grown by one case, as 95 prisoners have tested positive as of Friday, state data shows. Fifteen additional cases have been reported since Nov. 17 at the Warm Springs Correctional Center — by far the largest outbreak within the Nevada prison system — which now has 470 prisoner cases.

According to state data, there have been no deaths of any prisoners or staff members due to COVID-19. A total of 448 employees have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.

The most staff members have tested positive at High Desert State Prison, which had 119 cases as of Friday.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.