Cutting-Edge Coronavirus Tests To Be Used At Essex County Prison – Newark, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A cutting-edge test for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is being rolled out at the Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF) in Newark, authorities announced Sunday.

According to Essex County officials, the prison will be one of the first jails in the nation to use the recently approved COVID-19 IgG/IgM rapid test cassette.

The antibody rapid blood test is performed via a finger stick; results can be obtained within 15 minutes. It was approved two weeks ago by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and authorized under EUA #200056, county officials said.

CFG Health Systems, which provides health and medical services at the ECCF, ordered the tests as soon as they became available in late March, county officials said.

The new tests will be used for inmates and federal ICE detainees, whether they’re symptomatic or not, officials stated.

According to officials:

“This test will allow health professionals to determine if a patient has been exposed to the virus and may possibly be building greater immunity. This will enable inmates and detainees to be housed based on whether they have been exposed to the virus or not and help prevent the spread of the virus to those who don’t have it.”

County officials added:

“The screening will be rolled out in stages and administered based on the availability of the tests. The first 35 screening kits arrived on April 10; another 750 kits are scheduled to arrive this week with the final 2,000 scheduled to be delivered within the next week. The first group of inmates/detainees to be tested was new admissions to the facility and those who are quarantined and being watched for COVID-19 symptoms. The next group will be inmates/detainees who have pre-existing medical conditions which makes them a higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness. The last group to be screened will be inmates/detainees who are asymptomatic. Corrections Officers and staff also may be tested upon request. Testing began April 10.”

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., Freeholder President Brendan Gill and Freeholder Vice President Wayne Richardson released a joint statement about the new tests:

“We always have had a great working relationship with CFG and have maintained confidence in the high level of care they have provided to the inmates and detainees at our Correctional Facility. Employing the use of the rapid blood test shows initiative on the part of CFG to be on the cutting edge of health care to use emerging medical science to protect the health and welfare of inmates and detainees. The rapid blood test will help CFG to immediately identify who has been exposed to the virus so that more aggressive measures can be taken to reduce the amount of people who come in contact with the virus and decrease its transmission. We have undertaken a comprehensive set of initiatives to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus at our facility and keep the inmates, detainees, officers and staff safe. But we all recognize that social distancing, which has been identified as the most effective means to stop the virus’ spread, is extremely difficult in a jail setting. CFG’s introduction of the rapid blood test demonstrates their commitment to protect the jail population to the best of their ability and provides another tool for prevention.”

COVID-19 AT ESSEX COUNTY JAIL

Separate “quarantine” units at the ECCF have been designated to house inmates and detainees who are symptomatic.

Officials released the following infection and population statistics on Sunday.

To reduce the population in the facility, ECCF administrators have been identifying prisoners who are “more susceptible to the virus” based on age and underlying medical conditions, and working with courts, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and ICE to release them early.