Inmate COVID-19 cluster causes case spike

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“When those numbers hit the DSHS dashboard, it grew our cumulative number by 20 percent and it did not match with our daily reports we receive from them …"

— Burnet County Judge James Oakley

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A large cluster of COVID-19-positive inmates at the Ellen Halbert Unit in Burnet has caused the number of confirmed cases in Burnet County to climb dramatically, Burnet County Judge James Oakley said Wednesday, July 29.

Oakley said he was informed Monday, July 27, by Karen Hall, deputy chief of staff for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, that a total of 22 inmates at the Halbert Unit, a female Justice, that a total of 22 inmates at the Halbert Unit, a female substance abuse felony punishment facility at 800 Ellen Halbert substance abuse felony punishment facility at 800 Ellen Halbert Drive, were given symptomatic testing between April 10 and Drive, were given symptomatic testing between April 10 and July 23. Just four of the inmates have tested negative. July 23. Just four of the inmates have tested negative.

The first confirmed positive test was on July 10. Eight The first confirmed positive test was on July 10. Eight additional symptomatic cases were confirmed over the course of additional symptomatic cases were confirmed over the course of the next 10 days, with nine By tests Christi still Bertelson pending, which triggered man, Texa a mass saliva-based testing of Burnet all inmates Bulletin and staff at the prison The G on July 20-21.

An additional 292 inmates were tested, with 103 tests members – Jarrett Haydon award an coming back positive and 188 coming back negative. One test and Chloe DeSplinter – were once in a was invalid. Of the 133 employees tested, 132 were negative and among 28 youths honored Haydon, one was positive, though an additional two employees reported Kelly Ha during the Texas A&M AgriLife positive cases through their personal physicians.

The 112 confirmed the Department of State Health Services trict (DSHS) 7 4-H Gold reporting Star Banquet system duringCounty active Extension inmate Service’s cases hit the Department County 4 4 of State Health Services trict (DSHS) 7 4-H Gold reporting Star Banquet system during the the weekend and helped Burnet held Monday, County’s Oct. positive 26, at case the count is a climb junior weekend and helped Burnet held Monday, County’s Oct. positive 26, at case the count is a climb junior from 379 on Friday, July 24, to 542 as of Monday, Aug. 3.

“When those numbers hit the DSHS dashboard, it grew our cumulative number by 20 percent and it did not match with our daily reports we receive from them that contains more detailed information about individual cases,” Oakley said.

“We think maybe that information gets withheld due to them being incarcerated inmates. I doubt if our master list that we maintain on our county website will ever add up to the DSHS dashboard. We could not positively attribute the increase in numbers prior to Monday to that particular tesing because we didn’t have the backup data from DSHS. If we had known there were 103 cases reported, all with the same address, we could have added that to our master list.”

Responding to questions about why numbers may not add up, Oakley said “I put out the information I receive on Facebook. Some people love to scrutinize everything, but I am being as forthcoming as I can with what I am provided, and the numbers may not add up, but it is what I am given.”