A large outbreak of COVID-19 in a UK prison, October 2020 to April 2021

Adamson, James P.; Smith, Christopher; Pacchiarini, Nicole; Connor, Thomas R.; Wallsgrove, Janet; Coles, Ian; Frost, Clare; Edwards, Angharad; Sinha, Joydeep; Moore, D. J.; Perrett, Steph; Craddock, Christie; Sawyer, Clare; Waldram, Alison; Barrasa, Alicia; Thomas, Daniel Rhys; Daniels, Philip; Lewis, Heather

doi:10.1017/s0950268822000991

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Relative risk of COVID-19 positivity versus the general population was increased by 4.32 times37 and 5.29 times 36. However, a UK study documented a crude incidence rate in prisons which was not statistically different to the general population38 and four studies, from the UK, USA, Italy and Denmark, respectively, showed a lower incidence rate in the incarcerated population 39–42. Testing strategies were not clearly documented in these studies, so results must be interpreted with care.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…36 However, a UK study documented a crude incidence rate in prisons which was not statistically different to the general population 38 and four studies, from the UK, USA, Italy and Denmark, respectively, showed a lower incidence rate in the incarcerated population. [39][40][41][42] Testing strategies were not clearly documented in these studies, so results must be interpreted with care. Analysis often used population estimates, which are not accurate.…”

Section: Infection Rates Of Covid-19/sars-cov-2 In Peimentioning

confidence: 92%

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Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people experiencing incarceration: a systematic review

Williams,

Spinks,

Williams

et al. 2024

BMJ Open

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ObjectiveTo assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on people experiencing incarceration (PEI), focusing particularly on clinical outcomes compared with the general population.DesignSystematic review with narrative synthesis in accordance with the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination’s good practice guidelines.Data sourcesMedline, Social Policy and Practice, Criminology Connection, ASSIA, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web Of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Cochrane COVID-19 reviews, COVID-19 Evidence Reviews and L*OVE COVID-19 Evidence databases were searched up to 21 October 2022.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesWe included studies presenting data specific to adults ≥18 years experiencing incarceration, with exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection. All studies with a comparison group, regardless of study design and country were included. Studies with no comparison group data or not measuring clinical outcomes/health inequalities were excluded. Studies focussing on detained migrants, forensic hospitals, prison staff and those not in English were also excluded.Data extraction and synthesisTwo reviewers extracted data and assessed risk of bias. Data underwent narrative synthesis using a framework analysis based on the objectives, for infection rates, testing, hospitalisation, mortality, vaccine uptake rates and mental health outcomes. There was no scope for meta-analysis, due to the heterogeneity of evidence available.Results4516 references were exported from the databases and grey literature searched, of which 55 met the inclusion criteria. Most were from the USA and were retrospective analyses. Compared with the general population, PEI were usually found to have higher rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and poorer clinical outcomes. Conflicting data were found regarding vaccine uptake and testing rates compared with the general population. The mental health of PEI declined during the pandemic. Certain subgroups were more adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as ethnic minorities and older PEI.ConclusionPEI have poorer COVID-19 clinical outcomes than the general public, as shown by largely low-quality heterogenous evidence. Further high-quality research of continuing clinical outcomes and appropriate mitigating interventions is required to assess downstream effects of the pandemic on PEI. However, performing such research in the context of incarceration facilities is highly complex and potentially challenging. Prioritisation of resources for this vulnerable group should be a focus of national policy in the event of future pandemics.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022296968.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Infection Rates Of Covid-19/sars-cov-2 In Peimentioning

confidence: 92%

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people experiencing incarceration: a systematic review

Williams,

Spinks,

Williams

et al. 2024

BMJ Open

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“…Historically, genomic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 in jails has been limited, with most studies from outside the US or having a limited phylogenetic analysis of isolates [ 7 , 8 , 10 ]. In this study, we used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to examine the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 strains circulating among detainees incarcerated at the jail during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

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confidence: 99%

Genomic Epidemiology of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in a County Jail

Adediran,

Zawitz,

Piriani

et al. 2023

Open Forum Infectious Diseases

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Background In the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, correctional facilities are potential hotspots for transmission. We examined the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 early in the pandemic in one of the country’s largest urban jails. Methods Existing SARS-CoV-2 isolates from 131 detainees at the Cook County Jail in Chicago, IL from March 2020 through May 2020 were analyzed by whole-genome sequencing. Contemporaneous isolates from Rush University Medical Center (Chicago, IL) and Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) were used to identify genetic clusters containing only jail isolates. Transmission windows were identified for each pair of detainees using the date of the COVID-positive test and location data to determine if detainees overlapped in the jail, within a specific building, or within particular living units during transmission windows. Results We identified 29 jail-only clusters that contained 75 of the 132 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from detainees; of these clusters, 17 (58.6%) had individuals who overlapped in the jail during putative transmission windows. Focusing on specific buildings revealed that two buildings, a single and double-cell style type of housing were associated with having detainees infected with similar SARS-CoV-2 genomes during their infectious time period (p < 0.001). Conclusion Our findings suggest that there was transmission of SARS- CoV-2 in the jail, in the setting of extensive importation of COVID from the community. Numerous infection control practices at intake and during incarceration were implemented in the jail to limit viral spread. Our study shows the importance of genomic analysis in this type of settings and how it can be utilized within infection control protocols.

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“…Several outbreaks in prisons have likely been sparked via infected staff [49][50][51][52][53], and by transfers of infected residents between facilities [54][55][56][57]. For example, the San Quentin outbreak of June and July 2020, which led to 2241 cases and was caused by a transfer of infected residents from the Correctional Institute for Men (CIM) in Chino, California [58].…”

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confidence: 99%

Rates of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between and into California state prisons

Dubey,

Hoover,

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Correctional institutions are a crucial hotspot amplifying SARS-CoV-2 spread and disease disparity in the U.S. In the California state prison system, multiple massive outbreaks have been caused by transmission between prisons. Correctional staff are a likely vector for transmission into the prison system from surrounding communities. We used publicly available data to estimate the magnitude of flows to and between California state prisons, estimating rates of transmission from communities to prison staff and residents, among and between residents and staff within facilities, and between staff and residents of distinct facilities in the state's 34 prisons through March 22, 2021. We use a mechanistic model, the Hawkes process, reflecting the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, for joint estimation of transmission rates. Using nested models for hypothesis testing, we compared the results to simplified models (i) without transmission between prisons, and (ii) with no distinction between prison staff and residents. We estimated that transmission between different facilities' staff is a significant cause of disease spread, and that staff are a vector of transmission between resident populations and outside communities. While increased screening and vaccination of correctional staff may help reduce introductions, large-scale decarceration remains crucially needed as more limited measures are not likely to prevent large-scale disease spread.

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A large outbreak of COVID-19 in a UK prison, October 2020 to April 2021

Cited by 4 publications

References 14 publications

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people experiencing incarceration: a systematic review

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people experiencing incarceration: a systematic review

Genomic Epidemiology of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in a County Jail

Rates of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between and into California state prisons

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