The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Main Jail has identified 15 new COVID-19 positive inmates, officials announced on Friday, Feb.18.
The sheriff's office has teamed up with the California Department of Public health to clear 12 previously identified cases, leaving a remainder of 13 cases still active and none currently hospitalized.
A total of 277 cases have been recorded, with 259 of them having recovered and five having been released.
Sheriff's officials say all COVID-19 positive inmates are continuously monitored by custody staff and Wellpath partners and are moved into an area of the facility that has negative pressure cells.
Inmates are tested when they arrive in the sheriff's custody and are housed separately from the general population during the initial 10 days of their stay.
They are tested again before they are moved out of the quarantine area into other areas of the facility and during their stay, they are tested whenever they exhibit symptoms and whenever they might have been exposed to someone who has tested positive.
The Sheriff’s Office says it continues to offer all three of the COVID-19 vaccines to all inmates.