By Anthony Galaviz
The Fresno Bee
AVENAL, Calif. — There is a outbreak of the coronavirus at the Avenal State Prison, the Kings County Department of Public Health announced late Wednesday.
The health department reported 41 positive tests of COVID-19 in the county with 27 confirmed cases related to the outbreak in the prison.
The Avenal prison has had 25 inmates and seven staff members tested positive and are now isolated.
Health officials said they are working with the prison, the Chief Medical Officer of the California Department of Corrections and the California Department of Public Health to contain the spread of the virus.
Health officials determined 25 out of the 41 new cases in the county were contracted the disease through close contact.
The exposure of the remaining 16 new cases still is under investigation.
There has been a total of 457 cases of the coronavirus in Kings County with 170 recoveries and two deaths.
———
©2020 The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.)