Jail testing breakthrough

Since early July, the county commissioners have pushed for more COVID testing at the county jail. At four public meetings, they told by the county administrator and her corrections chief that the board wanted any inmate who asked to be tested to get a COVID-19 test.

Repeatedly, the commissioners were told only a handful of prisoners requested the COVID test.

Last week, there must have been a breakthrough. Ninety-three inmates were tested – resulting in 15% positivity rate. More prisoners were tested during the week that ended Sept. 4 than the previous seven weeks.

Maybe the administrator will share the “secret sauce” to jumping from six tests the prior week to 93 last week.

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Author: Rick Outzen

Rick Outzen is the publisher/owner of Pensacola Inweekly. He has been profiled in The New York Times and featured in several True Crime documentaries. Rick also is the author of the award-winning Walker Holmes thrillers. His latest nonfiction book is “Right Idea, Right Time: The Fight for Pensacola’s Maritime Park.”