Vaccine rolling out in midst of outbreak, surge

January 1, 2021 — The coronavirus vaccine has arrived during a surge in covid-19 cases and an outbreak at the jail that has tripled over the course of the week. There are currently 47 inmates in the jail who have tested positive. Nine employees have tested positive since the outbreak started on December 19, and four of them have made it through their isolation period. Another twelve inmates who tested positive have been released, for a total of 68 people so far who are known to have the virus. Sheriff Matt Kendall said cases have ranged from asymptomatic to mild flu-like symptoms. The outbreak is still confined to the men’s jail. Some test results are still pending. As the jail works to monitor its staff and inmates, the vaccination effort is rolling out at Carl Purdy Hall at the fairgrounds in Ukiah. Nash Gonzalez and Adrienne Thompson, of Planning and Building Services, are in charge of making sure everything goes according to plan. Thompson says there’s a reason for that.