{"id":32799,"date":"2020-05-07T04:00:01","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T09:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=32799"},"modified":"2020-05-07T11:28:04","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T16:28:04","slug":"oklahoma-covid-19-testing-in-question-as-positive-cases-spike-in-other-states-prisons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2020\/05\/07\/oklahoma-covid-19-testing-in-question-as-positive-cases-spike-in-other-states-prisons\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma Covid-19 testing in question as positive cases spike in other states\u2019 prisons\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.simplecast.com\/1104d12e-453d-47ba-87ad-17433319dc84?dark=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p><p>Jonna Wolf is worried there are a lot more than the two Covid-19 cases being reported in\u00a0Oklahoma\u2019s population of nearly 24,000 prisoners.<\/p><p>Her fianc\u00e9, Griffin Davison, is finishing up a five-year prison term for convictions stemming from possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. He has less than a year left.<\/p><p>One week in April saw over 6,000 new coronavirus infections in U.S. prisons. Wolf, prisoner advocates and public health experts are questioning whether Oklahoma\u2019s Covid-19 testing policies are capturing the true number of prisoners who have the disease.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32803\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32803\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Jonna-Wolf-Edit-1920x1552.jpg\" alt=\"Jonna Wolf poses for a selfie in her home.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Jonna-Wolf-Edit-1920x1552.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Jonna-Wolf-Edit-672x543.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Jonna-Wolf-Edit-768x621.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Jonna-Wolf-Edit-150x121.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Jonna-Wolf-Edit-300x242.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Jonna-Wolf-Edit-620x501.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Jonna-Wolf-Edit-1336x1080.jpg 1336w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Jonna Wolf<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jonna Wolf is afraid her fianc\u00e9 and other state prisoners will get sick with Covid-19 before they are released.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>The Department of Corrections has a <a href=\"http:\/\/doc.publishpath.com\/Default.aspx?shortcut=covid-19-stats-report\">spreadsheet showing how many Covid-19 prisoner tests<\/a>\u00a0have been conducted. It also lists the number of prisoners in quarantine as a precaution and how many are in isolation because they\u2019re sick.<\/p><p>On May 4, the sheet showed one person in isolation for the entire prison system. Wolf says that\u2019s unbelievable.<\/p><p>\u201cThey don\u2019t have to have Covid but to have one person coughing with fever in the whole state of (approximately) 24,000, that doesn\u2019t happen in the regular world,\u201d Wolf said.<\/p><p>The Department of Corrections and Oklahoma State Department of Health are only testing prisoners if they meet specific standards, such as showing symptoms or having contact with someone who is positive.<\/p>\n<h3>Mass testing revealed thousands of infections<\/h3><p>Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She researches incarceration\u2019s effects on health outcomes in the school\u2019s Department of Social Medicine.<\/p><p>She says because prisons have tight quarters and are often congested, the people inside them are extremely vulnerable to Covid-19<\/p><p>\u201cThese factors make it almost impossible to engage in social distancing,\u201d Brinkley-Rubinstein said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32802\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32802\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Lauren-Brinkley-Rubinstein-Edit-1920x1180.jpg\" alt=\"Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein poses for a photo.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Lauren-Brinkley-Rubinstein-Edit-1920x1180.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Lauren-Brinkley-Rubinstein-Edit-672x413.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Lauren-Brinkley-Rubinstein-Edit-768x472.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Lauren-Brinkley-Rubinstein-Edit-150x92.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Lauren-Brinkley-Rubinstein-Edit-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Lauren-Brinkley-Rubinstein-Edit-620x381.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/05\/Lauren-Brinkley-Rubinstein-Edit-1757x1080.jpg 1757w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Courtesy Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein believes it&#8217;s unlikely there have only been two Oklahoma prisoners infected with Covid-19.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themarshallproject.org\/2020\/05\/01\/a-state-by-state-look-at-coronavirus-in-prisons\">There have been over 14,500 infections in prisons around the country<\/a>. But, more than 75% of the infections weren\u2019t reported until the last weeks of April. There was a spike in positive tests <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-health-coronavirus-prisons-testing-in\/in-four-u-s-state-prisons-nearly-3300-inmates-test-positive-for-coronavirus-96-without-symptoms-idUSKCN2270RX\">largely because several states began mass testing prisoners<\/a>. Many showed no symptoms.<\/p><p>\u201cSo we\u2019ve seen at prisons in Ohio estimates that 88 percent of the population have Covid-19,\u201d Brinkley-Rubinstein said.<\/p><p>The Ohio prison system says most of its positive prisoners were asymptomatic. The same thing happened in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Arkansas.<\/p><p>Arkansas began \u201cwide-spread testing\u201d inside the state\u2019s largest prison and a much smaller community corrections center after finding positive cases.<\/p><p>Dina Tyler, a former spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Corrections said last week the state found 923 prisoners infected with Covid-19.<\/p><p>Tyler says most of those positives came from the prison and more than half the prisoners there had the disease, but similar to other mass testing states, most showed no symptoms.<\/p>\n<h3>Wide-spread testing is possible in nursing homes, why not prisons?<\/h3><p>The increases in these states make Professor Brinkley-Rubinstein suspicious of Oklahoma\u2019s low number of positives.<\/p><p>\u201cI think that it\u2019s very unlikely that those are the only two cases. Examples in states have shown that \u2026 when there\u2019s just one, if you engage in really comprehensive testing you find many many more,\u201d she said.<\/p><p>When asked about determining who is tested in state prisons, Scott Crow, the director of the Oklahoma Department Corrections said he couldn\u2019t get tests for everyone because the state doesn\u2019t have unlimited supplies.<\/p><p>Brinkley-Rubinstein agrees testing limitations are real obstacles for states across the country, but she said limited supplies haven&#8217;t stopped states from mass testing in assisted-living facilities and nursing homes.<\/p><p>In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt\u2019s administration wants wide-spread testing for <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoman.com\/article\/5661179\/oklahoma-to-test-all-nursing-home-residents-staffers-for-coronavirus\">42,000 people in nursing homes<\/a>\u00a0and long-term care facilities.<\/p><p>Brinkley-Rubinstein asks if system-wide testing is possible for long-term care facilities, why not prisons and jails?<\/p><p>\u201cI can\u2019t answer that question without thinking about the biases that we have about the people inside of these facilities,\u201d Brinkley-Rubinstein said.<\/p><p>She says not identifying coronavirus behind bars makes it easier for the virus to spread to communities surrounding prisons and overburden hospitals.<\/p>\n<h3>Jonna Wolf is losing faith<\/h3><p>\u201cI can\u2019t tell (Griffin) to pray on this,\u201d Jonna Wolf said.<\/p><p>Wolf has been begging state officials to release nonviolent prisoners who are at risk of catching Covid-19, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/here-is-how-many-prisoners-have-been-released-covid-19\">like other states are doing<\/a>.<\/p><p>The Department of Corrections doesn\u2019t have the power to release people. But it can recommend vulnerable prisoners with preexisting health conditions for medical parole. Last week, the agency recommended 14 people.<\/p><p>Wolf says it\u2019s not enough and she\u2019s afraid of what\u2019s coming.<\/p><p>\u201cThe inmates see that they are not cared for. They feel like that,\u201d Wolf said. \u201cIf you do nothing and these inmates lose people, you are setting up for a very angry, upset \u2026 if you treat people like trash and they\u2019re (expendable), they\u2019re going to act like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32779\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32779\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/04\/Scott-Crow-Hunter1-e1588218638512-1920x1246.jpg\" alt=\"Scott Crow speaks at the Office of the Attorney General.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1246\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/04\/Scott-Crow-Hunter1-e1588218638512-1920x1246.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/04\/Scott-Crow-Hunter1-e1588218638512-672x436.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/04\/Scott-Crow-Hunter1-e1588218638512-768x498.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/04\/Scott-Crow-Hunter1-e1588218638512-150x97.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/04\/Scott-Crow-Hunter1-e1588218638512-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/04\/Scott-Crow-Hunter1-e1588218638512-620x402.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/04\/Scott-Crow-Hunter1-e1588218638512-1664x1080.jpg 1664w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Quinton Chandler \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Scott Crow is head of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>Department of Corrections Director Scott Crow told StateImpact the prison agency is increasing Covid-19 testing to make sure symptomatic prisoners and those scheduled for release are checked.<\/p><p>The agency reports there have been 990 Covid-19 tests conducted for prisoners as of May 5. Two prisoners tested positive. One recovered and the other was released.<\/p><p>Crow said positive tests are low because the agency isn\u2019t letting prisoners move freely and is cleaning regularly. He added that discussions to expand testing are \u201ccertainly on the table.\u201d<\/p><p>The State health department and Gov. Kevin Stitt did not answer requests for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thousands of prisoners across the country are infected with Covid-19. The more states test, the more cases they find. Some question whether Oklahoma&#8217;s Covid-19 testing policies have revealed the true number of state prisoners carrying the disease. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":32802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[1238,1255,1257,1256,890,1209],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32799"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32799"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32820,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32799\/revisions\/32820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}