![The nine confirmed cases at the Cuyahoga County Jail and two suspected cases all occurred among inmates in the same housing unit in the jail. [Matthew Richmond / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/10400c7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1686+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F4%2F06%2Fjusticecenter_web2.jpg)
Cuyahoga County is reporting a total of nine confirmed cases and two suspected cases at its jail, as of Monday afternoon.
The increase comes three days after the first six confirmed cases were reported.
According to a county spokesperson, all 11 inmates are in isolation and receiving medical care from MetroHealth System staff.
As of April 3, the population at Cuyahoga County’s jail was down to about 1,000 inmates, well below its typical population of about twice that. Extra hearings the week of March 14, including some through the weekend, helped lower the jail population in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.
There has been an increasing focus on outbreaks of coronavirus at Ohio’s jails and prisons. State prison officials report 10 confirmed cases among inmates and 27 cases among staff across the system.
As of Monday, four of the state’s prisons, with a total of nearly 6,000 inmates, were under quarantine.
At Elkton Federal Correctional Institution in Columbiana County, the state’s only federal prison, three inmates have died from COVID-19. Another seven are confirmed as currently having the virus. Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday he is sending in medical personnel from the Ohio National Guard to help with the response at Elkton over the next seven to 10 days.
