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Infection Control

COVID-19 in Prisons and Jails in the United States

Educational Objective
To understand how vulnerable prisons and jails are to COVID-19 outbreaks
1 Credit CME
JAMA Internal Medicine
Published Online: April 28, 2020
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Laura Hawks, MD1,2;
Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH2,3;
Danny McCormick, MD, MPH1,2
Author Affiliations
  • 1Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • 2Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
  • 3Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, New York
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In mid-March 2020, the first case of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) was diagnosed at Riker’s Island, the main jail complex in New York City. Within 2 weeks, more than 200 cases were diagnosed within the facility, despite efforts to curb the spread. The situation at the Cook County jail in Chicago is similar, with about 350 incarcerated persons and staff members testing positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus as of early April 2020. Many other jails and prisons have reported outbreaks of COVID-19 and related deaths.

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CME Disclosure Statement: Unless noted, all individuals in control of content reported no relevant financial relationships. If applicable, all relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

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Infection Control Public Health Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Article Information

Corresponding Author: Laura Hawks, MD, Department of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance, 1493 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02143 (lhawks@hsph.harvard.edu).

Published Online: April 28, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.1856

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

References
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Kakimoto  K , Kamiya  H , Yamagishi  T , Matsui  T , Suzuki  M , Wakita  T .  Initial investigation of transmission of COVID-19 among crew members during quarantine of a cruise ship—Yokohama, Japan, February 2020.   MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69(11):312-313. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6911e2PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Maruschak  LM , Berzofsky  M , Unangst  J . Medical problems of state and federal prisoners and jail inmates, 2011-12. Published February 2015. Accessed March 24, 2020. https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mpsfpji1112.pdf.
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