70 percent of federal inmates tested for coronavirus have COVID-19

More than 70 percent of federal inmates who have been tested for the coronavirus have COVID-19, the Bureau of Prisons said Wednesday.

About 2,700 inmates have been given tests, and 71 percent of those came back positive. Officials say they expect the overall number of cases to rise since testing so far has covered less than 2 percent of the 153,000 inmates in the federal system, The Wall Street Journal reported.

While the low testing rate mirrors that of the general U.S. population, prisons and jails face unique challenges in imposing the physical distancing measures recommended by public health experts to slow the spread of the deadly virus.

“Really, this pandemic is challenging us to rethink almost everything we do, while keeping in mind the security requirements of correctional facilities,” Jeffrey Allen, medical director for the federal Bureau of Prisons, said in an interview Wednesday with the Journal.