Bucks Co. Jails See Highest COVID-19 Surge Since January: Reports

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — The highest number of incarcerated people in Bucks County since January have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Prison Society.

Forty seven people jailed in the county contracted coronavirus, county spokesperson Larry King told the Bucks County Courier Times in early August. As of April, 734 people were incarcerated in Bucks County.

This news comes as county buildings have mandated masking again, virtual court proceedings are available to mitigate COVID-19 spread, and Bucks is now designated as an area of "high" spread according to guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control.

Bucks County Correctional Facility currently has vaccines available to prisoners, though statewide vaccination rates in county jails are low, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Prison Society. The median vaccination rate for incarcerated people in Pennsylvania county jails was 28 percent. Only five counties provided data on staff vaccinations, which showed a median rate of 43 percent.

Bucks County Commissioners are considering a vaccine mandate for staff, Corrections Director David Kratz confirmed to the Courier Times, as well as a digital board to show real-time updates on COVID-19 rates in Bucks County's incarcerated population.

New data on August numbers in the Bucks County Correctional Facility will not be available until the end of the month.

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