LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Since launching a statewide testing initiative in May, the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) has tested 10,329 offenders for COVID-19, or 83% of its total population of 12,368.
Of those tested, only nine – .08% of all offenders – have tested positive for the virus, one of the lowest rates in the nation.
“Nevada’s goal has been to mitigate and prevent the spread of COVID-19 through rigorous testing and the implementation of deliberate and pro-active protocols,” said Gov. Steve Sisolak. “Our state’s testing initiative is the result of a successful partnership between NDOC, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory to test one of our state’s most vulnerable populations.”
According to the Marshall Project, a nonprofit that tracks COVID-19 testing, results, and recoveries at jails and prisons throughout the United States, Nevada’s rate of positive COVID-19 tests is currently the eighth lowest in the nation.
