COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed in Texas prisons in recent weeks, with the virus infecting and killing incarcerated people and staff, and likely spreading into nearby communities through the thousands of workers who travel back and forth each day. Yet some confirmed COVID-19 cases in state prisons are being excluded from the Texas health department tally with little explanation from government officials. The reported numbers significantly undercount cases in at least two East Texas counties where the number of positive prison cases have eclipsed the reported county totals severalfold.
In Anderson County, COVID-19 cases in the Beto Unit, one of five state prisons in the county, spiked to over 200 in recent weeks, yet data from the state health department shows just 38 confirmed cases countywide as of Wednesday—many of whom are prison employees, according to a local official. And directly south in Houston County, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported only nine COVID-19 cases, yet 33 prisoners incarcerated in the county’s Eastham Unit currently have the virus, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).
The Observer identified at least nine Texas counties where current prison cases make up more than 10 percent of the total COVID-19 cases in the county. While it’s unclear how many county totals exclude incarcerated people who test positive for COVID-19, the numbers reported by DSHS mask the prevalence of the virus in some rural areas. According to DSHS, jail and prison employees who test positive for COVID-19 are included in case totals for the county where they live, while people who test positive while in jail are counted in their usual county of residence. But when asked about confirmed cases in prisons, DSHS spokesperson Lara Antone wrote in an email that the agency was working with local health departments and prison officials “to ensure that incarcerated COVID-19 positive patients are being accounted for consistently.” She did not say why prison cases would be left out of the county reports.
