Virginia Beach Correctional Center inmate tests positive for COVID-19

One Virginia Beach Correctional Center inmate tested positive today for COVID-19.

The inmate, who will not be identified in accordance with the confidentiality provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), is asymptomatic and completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine when he was initially booked into the Correctional Center in March. Since then he has been out of the jail on two occasions for medical appointments unrelated to COVID-19 and was quarantined again after those appointments. As part of one of those appointments yesterday, medical staff tested him for COVID-19 and the test results came back positive today. He has been separated from the general population in accordance with contagion protocols.

The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office has notified the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and is in the process of testing all of the inmates and deputies who were in close contact with this individual. Additional testing will be conducted as recommended by the VDH. The most recent testing data is available at vbso.net/coronavirus.

As of this time, no additional VBSO deputies or civilians have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office (VBSO) began its COVID-19 response on March 6. That response has included reducing the inmate population by 300 inmates (20% of the inmate population), implementing a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all new admissions to the jail, and requiring daily health screenings and masks for all staff. The VBSO is continuing to follow its Infectious Disease Operations Plan in consultation with its medical staff, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the VDH.

“For the past three months, we have been successful in keeping COVID-19 out of the Virginia Beach Correctional Center and we will continue to do all we can to protect the health and safety of every inmate, deputy and civilian here,” said Sheriff Ken Stolle.

Any inmate who tests positive for COVID-19 will be given an opportunity to call and notify his or her family members and to sign a release form authorizing the Correctional Center’s Medical staff to discuss their medical information with designated friends and family.

Any questions or requests for additional information from the news media may be directed to Public Information Officer Kathy Hieatt: 757.385.8446 (office) or 757.570.9123 (cell).