33 more inmates test corona positive in Naini jail, active cases soar to 157

Prayagraj: Thirty three inmates at Naini Central Jail were diagnosed with Covid-19 on Sunday, after testing negative for the infection about 10 days back. The inmates were diagnosed using rapid antigen test kits.
Senior superintendent of Naini central jail PN Pandey said, “A team of health department officials had conducted tests on 100 inmates and 33 of them tested positive for Covid-19. The 33 inmates had earlier tested negative during a testing drive organised on the prison premises around 10 days back. Then too, they were tested using rapid antigen kits.”
Prison authorities decided to get them tested again after some of the inmates developed symptoms similar to Covid-19. Pandey said that currently there are 157 active cases in the prison and they are being treated at the Covid quarantine centre-cum-hospital set up in one of the barracks of the jail. Teams of medical and paramedical staff is tending to the inmates. On Saturday, a joint team of police, health and district administration inspected the Covid quarantine centre inside the jail. The team decided to deploy an additional team of medical and paramedical staff including three doctors to take better care of inmates. The local administration has decided to set up a 120-bed hospital inside the jail.
The jail administration has gotten over 1,900 inmates tested for Covid-19 in the past two weeks.
Currently, around 4,700 inmates lodged in Naini central jail.