BRYAN, Texas — The Federal Prison Camp in Bryan is doing mass COVID-19 testing. The announcement came down Tuesday in a statement given to KAGS.
Inmates will get their temperatures checked and a COVID-19 health assessment done on a daily basis. Prison officials said they hope to slow down the spread of the virus by identifying people who may be asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic and stop them from coming into contact with people who are healthy.
This comes after a new study released Monday showed more Texas jail and prison inmates and staff have been infected and killed by COVID-19 than those of any other state's criminal justice system. The study is from the University of Texas-Austin and you can read that study by clicking the link below:
At least 231 inmates and staff members have died of COVID-19 in Texas prisons and jails, according to the report. The study also found inmates and staff tested positive for the coronavirus at 490% higher rate than the state's general population. At least nine inmates who were approved for parole died in prison before their release. Perhaps one of the most staggering pieces of data is that 80% of people who died from COVID-19 in county jails in Texas were pre-trial and had not been convicted of a crime.
Back in Bryan, FPC officials said they have had some positive tests, but many of the patients have mild to no symptoms. They also warn that with this increase of testing, it may appear there is an outbreak or a cluster and could cause a spike in reporting numbers for Brazos County.
If an inmate does test positive for COVID-19, officials said that person will be put in medical isolation until they can be considered "recovered" by medical staff. Medical staff said they will use the CDC's guidelines to determine what "recovered" means. Inmates who test positive will first be treated in-house unless it is determined they need another level of care.
As for prevention, prison officials said its staff is given masks, gowns, eye protection and gloves when they are entering isolation areas or doing enhanced screenings. Masks are also given to staff and inmates as they are needed, according to the statement.
It's important to note the study from the University of Texas-Austin does not include information from federal prisons or ICE facilities, but rather, takes a look at the data from state-operated prisons and county-operated jails.
The FPC said it will continue to work with the Brazos County Health District on CDC guidance and reporting its numbers.