Over 2,000 UK inmates may have been infected with coronavirus

According to figures collated up to April 24, there have been 1,783 probable an 304 confirmed cases in prisons in England and Wales.

A new briefing paper by Dr Éamonn O’Moore, national lead for Health and Justice at Public Health England, measured the impact of the virus in jails.

The report was completed on April 24 to help response to the threat posed by Covid-19 in prisons.

It states Public Health England worked with the prison service to enforce social distancing, protect the most vulnerable and increase ‘compartmentalisation’ in prisons.

And Dr O’Moore concluded that no ‘explosive outbreaks’ have been seen during the outbreak.

But public health experts fear if appropriate measures to increase social distancing were not taken, some 77,800 people in jail would develop the virus with 4,500 of them needing hospitalisation, and 2,700 likely deaths.

There have been outbreaks in 75 different ‘custodial institutions,’ and to date 35 inmates have been hospitalised and 15 have died.

Dr O’Moore warned: “Some large outbreaks will still occur through chance events.