The Director of Corrections reports that there are currently two cases of COVID-19 at the Northampton County Prison (NCP); one inmate and one staff member. Since the start of the pandemic, 191 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. One-hundred-ninety have finished their quarantine periods or are no longer at NCP. Sixty-five Department of Corrections staff have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic. All have finished their quarantine periods and returned to work. Seventeen vendor employees at NCP have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic. Sixteen have finished their quarantine periods and returned to work.

“The Department of Corrections has done a stellar job at preventing the spread of the coronavirus within the walls of the jail through mask-wearing, social distancing and now vaccinations,” says Lamont McClure. “Since November 2020, nineteen inmates have been admitted to NCP with a positive test for COVID. The efforts of our staff to prevent transmission within the jail have been very successful.”

Since March 2020, NCP has conducted 3,754 tests for COVID-19 on inmates. All new inmates receive a test when they come into the facility before they are transferred to General Population; residents are tested on a random basis.

There are currently 598 inmates in residence at NCP.

NCP has held seven vaccination clinics so far this year with another one scheduled for this week. Shots for inmates and staff are administered by PrimeCare Medical. The vaccinations are not compulsory and are only provided to those who request them.

Services, including the Linking Employment Activities Pre-release or LEAP program and the Pine Brook Family Answers program have begun to reopen at the facility. The Work Release program has also resumed.

A COVID-19 drive-through vaccination clinic and testing site is open at 3100 Emrick Blvd. Bethlehem Township, 18020. Hours of operation are Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 10:00AM – 2:00PM and Tuesday/Thursday from 2:00PM to 6:00PM. The drive-through testing center is located in the parking area to the rear of the Coordinated Health Building and is separate from patient parking and routine patient care.

A Physician’s order is not required to be tested. The drive-through site is open to everyone, but only residents of Northampton County will receive a free test if they do not have health coverage. All testing will be through HNL Lab Medicine unless insurance requires an alternate laboratory. Participants should bring a photo ID and their insurance card, if they have one, with them to the testing site.

To make an appointment for a vaccine at the COVID-19 drive-thru testing site use one of the following options:

1. Schedule at the LVHN website at LVHN.org/appointment.

2. Schedule on the MyLVHN patient portal, at MyLVHN.org.

3. Call 833-584-6283