GREAT FALLS — Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said in a release on Saturday that 10 more inmates and one additional employee have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Cascade County Detention Center.
The additional cases bring the current total number of positive cases at the facility to 66.
Slaughter first said in a release on Monday that 53 inmates and two staff members had tested positive for the coronavirus. Before that, only one positive case had been confirmed, on August 20.
Regarding the earlier announcement of 53 inmates, Slaughter said many displayed no symptoms, some mild symptoms, and a few with more severe symptoms. He also said that most of the inmates who tested positive now reside in one specific area of the jail and a handful of the others remaining are isolated in individual cells.
- 53 inmates, 2 staff test positive for COVID at Cascade County jail
- One case of COVID-19 confirmed at Cascade County jail
Slaughter said he anticipates the number of cases will continue to rise at the jail and that it will fluctuate as people enter and leave the facility. Inmates will continue to be brought to the jail to ensure the safety of Cascade County residents, Slaughter previously said, although all civilian visitation at the jail has been suspended, and attorneys now have the option to meet with their clients virtually.
Slaughter said in Monday's release that all previously reported cases came from the "county" side of the jail, and that state inmates were not affected at that point in time. He did not specify in Saturday's release whether any cases involved state inmates.
We will update you when we learn more.