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The Director of Corrections reports that, as of July 25th, there are seven cases of COVID-19 among inmates at Northampton County Prison (NCP). There are no cases of COVID-19 among NCP employees or staff.
Since the start of the pandemic, 461 inmates have tested positive; 454 have finished their quarantine periods or are no longer at NCP.
“The pandemic isn’t over yet. We continue to see a rise in cases caused by new variants of COVID-19,” says Lamont McClure. “I encourage everyone to get vaccinated and boosted and to wear a mask when in the presence of anyone who might be vulnerable to infection.”
Since March 2020, NCP has conducted 9,278 tests for COVID-19 on inmates. All new inmates are tested when they come into the facility and must show a negative result before they are transferred to General Population; residents are tested when they show signs and symptoms associated with the virus. In-person visitation is prohibited. Volunteers have begun returning to the facility. All volunteers must be vaccinated. Masks are worn on a voluntary basis and provided to any inmate who wants one. Inmates participating in work release or work programs within NCP must be vaccinated.
NCP has held 44 vaccination clinics and vaccinated 737 inmates. The clinic also offers booster shots. Currently, 299 inmates in the facility are fully vaccinated and 41 have received at least one booster. Shots for inmates and staff are administered by PrimeCare Medical. The vaccinations are not compulsory and are only provided to those who request them.
There are currently 588 inmates in residence at NCP.
Virus mitigation measures for employees include voluntary masking with a surgical mask, daily temperature checks, hand sanitizer stations, increased cleaning/disinfection protocols, COVID- 19 tests available at the drive-through testing center or through a personal physician, ionizer and electrostatic sprayers throughout the facility, social distancing and frequent hand washing.
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 – 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:
- Schedule at the LVHN website at LVHN.org/appointment.
- Schedule on the MyLVHN patient portal, at http://mylvhn.org/
- Call 833-584-6283
Information provided to TVL by:
Becky Bartlett
Deputy Director of Administration
Northampton County Government Center
669 Washington Street
Easton, PA 18042
https://www.northamptoncounty.org/
