EASTON, Pa. - As of Oct. 10, Northampton County Prison (NCP) has reported one case of COVID-19 among inmates, with no positive cases reported among staff.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 480 NCP inmates have tested positive; 479 have either finished their quarantine or left the prison.
- NCP reported one case of COVID-19 among inmates on Oct. 10. No staff members were reported to be sick
- NCP is now getting inmates tested only when they show symptoms
- People are still encouraged to get vaccinated even though there are disputes over whether the pandemic is over
- A COVID-19 vaccination clinic and testing site is open at 3100 Emrick Blvd. in Bethlehem Township
Becky Bartlett, Northampton County public information officer, said that NCP used to conduct random testing for all inmates during the height of the pandemic.
But now they only get tested when having symptoms.
Bartlett added that NCP works with PrimeCare Medical, a company focused singularly on providing correctional health care, to offer medical resources to inmates when they contract COVID.
“NCP has a medical facility for inmates,” she said, indicating that inmates are sent to hospitals when the facility is unlikely to handle the situation.
So far, NCP has conducted 9,798 tests for inmates and has held 51 vaccination clinics, which provided 840 inmates with vaccinations and another 78 with boosters. Shots for inmates and staff are administered by PrimeCare Medical.
Out of the current 566 inmates, 273 are fully vaccinated and 41 have received at least one booster, according to county data. The vaccinations are optional.
Is the pandemic over?
While President Joe Biden said in a recent appearance on CBS' "60 Minutes" that “the pandemic is over,” Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure begs to differ.
“The pandemic is not over yet,” McClure said. “Cases of COVID-19 continue to be reported in our area.” He stressed the importance of getting vaccinated as the best measure to keep combatting the virus.
"The pandemic is not over yet."Lamont McClure, Northampton County Executive
Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson also encouraged people to get a COVID booster to “continue the work of mitigating COVID-19.”
The updated COVID-19 bivalent boosters provide protection against the original virus strain as well as the omicron variant (and its subvariants BA.4 and BA.5), according to the Pa. Department of Health.
“[NCP] is still in a high-risk category for spreading COVID,” Bartlett said when asked to compare the current situation with the peak of the pandemic.
There is no record of the NCP death toll, according to the officer.
In Northampton County, a COVID-19 drive-through vaccination clinic and testing site are open at 3100 Emrick Blvd. in Bethlehem Township.
A physician’s order is not required to be tested. The drive-through site is open to everyone, but only residents of Northampton County will receive a free test if they do not have health coverage. Participants should bring a photo ID and their insurance card, if they have one, with them to the testing site.
To make an appointment for a vaccine at the COVID-19 drive-through testing site use one of the following options:
1. Schedule at the LVHN website.
2. Schedule on the MyLVHN patient portal.
3. Call 833-584-6283 for more information.
