Santa Rita Jail reports 40 inmate Covid-19 cases since Wednesday

Forty Santa Rita Jail inmates have tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus since Wednesday, sheriff’s officials said Thursday.

That brings the total to 46, sheriff’s Sgt. J.D. Nelson said.

None of the inmates at the jail in Dublin have had to be sent to a hospital. All the inmates who tested positive are in the same housing unit, separated from other inmates, Nelson said.

Low-level offenders in Alameda County and in other counties have been released following the start of the pandemic to limit or try to stop the spread of the virus in jails.

Among Santa Rita Jail staff, seven are currently positive for the virus and 35 have recovered. A senior deputy sheriff is fighting for his life against Covid-19, sheriff’s officials said.