YACOLT, Wash. — More than 200 inmates at Larch Corrections Center in Clark County have tested positive for COVID-19, the Washington State Department of Corrections (WSDOC) reported Monday.
In the bulletin released by WSDOC on Dec. 31, 2020, Larch Correction Center reported six incarcerated individuals had tested positive for COVID-19. In the bulletin released Monday, just four days later, the prison reported 218 inmates had tested positive.
The prison, located in Yacolt, Washington, about 25 miles northeast of Vancouver, has a capacity of 480 inmates.
WSDOC said all inmates who tested positive are being housed together to reduce the spread of the virus, which is standard protocol as outlined in the department's COVID-19 Screening, Testing and Infection Control Guidelines.
"As we move forward in the coming weeks, you can expect to see cohorting in the dayrooms and shower/bathroom areas, serial testing of our incarcerated population, and an increased awareness to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protocols, cleaning, sanitizing, and social distancing," WSDOC Superintendent James C. Miller Jr. wrote in a Dec. 30, 2020 memo addressing the outbreak at Larch Correction Center.