Monroe County Sheriff’s Office: 87 COVID-19 cases inside jail

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect a correction from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office after its initial release said "Of the 56 COVID positive inmates, 45 are symptomatic with mild symptoms and zero hospitalizations."

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — There are 87 inmates in the Monroe County Jail who have tested positive for COVID-19, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday afternoon.

That’s out of 701 inmates.

Every inmate is tested for COVID-19 weekly. The MCSO says 45 of the 87 inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 have mild symptoms, and none are hospitalized.

The MCSO also tests all staff members before they enter the facility as a way to mitigate spread, and it quarantines and tests inmates before they join the general population of the jail.

Those measures were put in place last year after positive cases began to increase, eventually peaking at 260.

The MCSO says that between Dec. 21, 2020, and Dec. 26, 2021, its in-house testing facility has completed 21,490 tests and caught 122 people who tested positive before they entered the facility.

The jail also works with the Monroe County Department of Health to vaccinate inmates who would like a vaccine. The MCSO says it’s vaccinated 334 inmates total and says as of Monday, 189 out of the 701 inmates are vaccinated.

The jail has a COVID-19 dashboard and the MCSO says anyone with questions about their loved one in the jail can call 585-753-4021.