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Source: https://thehill.com/opinion/crimina...rotect-our-jails-and-prisons-from-coronavirus
4 ways to protect our jails and prisons from coronavirus
By Dr. Homer Venters, Opinion Contributor — 02/29/20 08:00 AM EST
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
Public health agencies around the world are preparing for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that has spread from China to multiple regions of the world. We now see more cases outside of China than inside, and we’re also hearing of cases inside the U.S. among people without known travel contact. One critical lesson from our experience with H1N1 a decade ago is worth highlighting: We must integrate our nation’s 5,000 jails, prisons and immigration detention centers with our pandemic response efforts.
In the spring of 2009, we also faced a novel viral threat to health in the form of H1N1, which the CDC now estimates took between approximately 150,000 and 500,000 lives worldwide in the first 12 months of activity. Much of this illness occurred among young people, who lacked antibodies for this strain of flu. Working inside the health service of the New York City jail system, we confronted a wide array of issues in responding to H1N1, from decisions about how to set up surveillance for influenza-like illness, to diagnosis and treatment of suspected cases and isolation of housing areas of the jails where people were ill...
4 ways to protect our jails and prisons from coronavirus
By Dr. Homer Venters, Opinion Contributor — 02/29/20 08:00 AM EST
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
Public health agencies around the world are preparing for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that has spread from China to multiple regions of the world. We now see more cases outside of China than inside, and we’re also hearing of cases inside the U.S. among people without known travel contact. One critical lesson from our experience with H1N1 a decade ago is worth highlighting: We must integrate our nation’s 5,000 jails, prisons and immigration detention centers with our pandemic response efforts.
In the spring of 2009, we also faced a novel viral threat to health in the form of H1N1, which the CDC now estimates took between approximately 150,000 and 500,000 lives worldwide in the first 12 months of activity. Much of this illness occurred among young people, who lacked antibodies for this strain of flu. Working inside the health service of the New York City jail system, we confronted a wide array of issues in responding to H1N1, from decisions about how to set up surveillance for influenza-like illness, to diagnosis and treatment of suspected cases and isolation of housing areas of the jails where people were ill...