A second DeKalb County jail inmate has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox said the 71-year-old man is in stable condition in the jail infirmary.
Earlier this week, officials announced that a 35-year-old male inmate was undergoing treatment at Grady Memorial Hospital after testing positive for the virus. A 57-year-old jail employee who generally has no contact with inmates also tested positive.
» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Coronavirus in Georgia
“This is uncharted territory for all of us and we cannot predict the ultimate outcome,” Maddox said in a statement Saturday. None of the victims were identified.
The sheriff’s office has altered its procedures so incoming DeKalb jail inmates are screened outside the facility and placed in an immediate 14-day quarantine. The jail’s visitation center is also closed.
Cases have popped up at jails and prisons across the state.
Fulton County’s jail said that an inmate tested positive, and the Cobb County Detention Center reported that a deputy had contracted the virus. Two inmates and one employee at the federal prison in Atlanta also have tested positive, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
A 49-year-old inmate at Lee State Prison in Lee County this week became the first Georgia inmate to die after testing positive for COVID-19.
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