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Our alumnus Fernando Reis (cohort 2017-18) spent 3 months in a penitentiary complex investigating a COVID-19 outbreak. The field work has provided the opportunity to carry out several studies of which this is the first to be published. It addresses virus transmissibility in a prison environment.

Detention facilities constitute an environment optimal for the introduction and spread of respiratory infectious diseases. Living conditions of inmates are frequently overcrowded and poorly ventilated, might provide limited access to running water, and lack adequate sanitary facilities. These conditions increase risk factors for and background prevalence of infection. Furthermore, prisons commonly must deal with understaffing and lack of resources, presenting additional challenges to triaging and treating higher-risk patients in a timely manner.

The full article is avaiable on the CDC website