COVID-19 Testing and Cases in Immigration Detention Centers: Infections are rising

COVID-19 Testing and Cases in Immigration Detention Centers, April-August 2020 This study describes monthly test, test positivity, and case rates for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among individuals detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) between April and August 2020. JAMA_current

... Despite ICE’s mitigation efforts, COVID-19 case rates among detainees increased every month from April to August. An increase in testing appears to only partially explain the increasing monthly case rates. COVID-19 testing expanded more rapidly among detainees than the US population. However, a consistently higher monthly case rate and test positivity rate among detainees suggest that COVID-19 is escalating more rapidly inside detention centers compared with the US population.

COVID-19 spread within facilities may be partially due to challenges faced implementing the Pandemic Response Requirements.⁵ An independent assessment of facilities’ mitigation strategies is necessary to identify and address existing gaps in these efforts. Strategies that have proven effective in other congregate facilities, such as mass asymptomatic testing and changes in dormitory-style housing, should be considered.⁶

Limitations of the study include relying on ICE’s publicly available data, which may be subject to reporting delays and missing components. Given limited asymptomatic detainee testing, monthly case rates may be underestimates.⁶ Comparison of rates between detainees and the US population is limited by differences in testing and reporting methods. ICE also provides limited data for facility staff; thus, this analysis represents an incomplete picture of COVID-19 epidemiology inside facilities. ...