2nd inmate at Bexar County Jail tests positive for COVID-19, sheriff’s office says

BCSO investigating how it was contracted

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A second inmate at the Bexar County Jail has tested positive for COVID-19, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.

According to a press release from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, medical personnel evaluated the unidentified inmate after he developed a fever over 100 degrees.

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The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said the inmate has been in custody since March 17, on a violent felony charge.

Authorities say the inmate was not housed with the inmate that originally tested positive for COVID-19 on April 10, and it is believed that the two cases are separate. The sheriff’s office is now investigating how he contracted the virus.

The BCSO said the inmate previously did not display any COVID-19 related symptoms and was housed in a unit where there is minimal face-to-face contact. The deputies and inmates housed in the unit are at low-risk.

According to the press release, a total of two inmates at the Bexar County Jail, 14 deputies, one video visitation civilian employee and one dispatcher have tested positive for COVID-19. A Bexar County facilities maintenance employee assigned to the Bexar County Jail also tested positive earlier this week.

COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March.

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About the Author:

Ben Spicer is a digital journalist who works the early morning shift for KSAT.