Antonio Ellis of Des Plaines started feeling poorly on April 8.
He woke up that morning in his bunk at the Lake County jail with a headache and, when he stood up, his equilibrium was off. Concerned, he told a correctional officer, who called a nurse.
Ellis said he continued to feel sick through the remainder of the week, with his temperature at one point hitting 101.3 degrees, but the Lake County jail’s health care provider never tested Ellis for the novel coronavirus.
The Lake County jail has not tested any of its inmates for COVID-19, according to Sgt. Christopher Covelli, the spokesman for the jail. He also confirmed Friday that a 28-year-old Des Plaines man, who was in the jail Feb. 27 to April 13, had been tested at a Cook County hospital and come back with positive results.
Ellis said he continued to feel sick after he was released on Monday, and decided to call 911 Wednesday after he had trouble breathing. He was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge where his vital signs were good, but a doctor decided to test him anyway because he had been in the jail.
After Ellis notified the Lake County jail of his diagnosis, the jail placed the 10 other inmates in Ellis’s pod under quarantine from the rest of the jail population, and they continue to be monitored by the medical provider, Covelli said.
While Covelli said the pod where Ellis was staying in the jail had been used to house inmates who were mildly sick, Ellis said that was not true. Ellis said he had been assigned to that pod for most of his stay in the jail.
Covelli said it was true Ellis had been assigned to that pod for weeks, but that after he had developed his symptoms and another inmate also developed a low-grade fever the decision was made not to move any of the inmates in or out of there as a precaution.
He said none of the other inmates in that pod were still experiencing any symptoms of illness, but they remain under observation by medical staff.
The decision to issue a coronavirus test is made on a case-by-case basis and ultimately is the decision of the medical provider, Covelli said. The medical provider determined Ellis did not meet the threshold for testing based on his low-grade fever, but he did receive medical care while in custody.
“As we’ve been hearing over and over by our local, state, and national medical professionals, COVID-19 testing remains extremely limited,” Covelli said. “There is not an abundance of tests, where tests can be given to those who do not meet the specific requirements.”
The lack of testing is a concern for Anthony McIntyre, the president of the nonprofit Antmound Foundation who is particularly involved in recidivism issues.
“Right now, everyone should err on the sign of caution,” McIntyre said, noting that Ellis had a number of symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus. “Any of those symptoms should lead to a test.”
The best way to ensure inmates remain healthy is to just test everyone, McIntyre said, noting that some people show no symptoms.
Ellis, who pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated robbery with a firearm as part of a plea deal, has gone public with his experience in the hopes that it will lead to changes at the jail, adding that he worries about the other men who had been housed in the same pod.
His decision came as some inmates within the Cook County jail began refusing regular food and demanding better conditions over concerns that the novel coronavirus will sweep through that jail.
At least two Cook County jail inmates have died after testing positive for COVID-19, the family of one having filed a federal lawsuit against the jail alleging he was improperly shackled to his hospital bed for days.
The Lake County jail is nowhere near the size of the sprawling Cook County jail where the inmate population is currently at all-time lows – reaching just 4,322 people as of Wednesday – compared to the 448 incarcerated in Lake County as of Friday afternoon.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office and the court system, has also been working at lowering its jail population, reducing the sentence of 40 non-violent inmates in the early days of the pandemic locally and releasing them.
Since then, anyone charged with a felony is medically screened before being allowed into the facility, Covelli said. They then go through a remote bond hearing, which keeps inmates from being moved unnecessarily through the jail and courthouse.
If the judge issues a recognizance bond, the person is released, Covelli said. If that doesn’t happen, the person is moved into the general population only after it’s been confirmed they’re showing no signs or symptoms of COVID-19.
Inmates are screened daily for COVID-19 symptoms, Covelli said. The jail has also stepped up its cleanings of the pod, begun segregated inmates who seem mildly sick while reserving the medical unit for those with more severe conditions, and issued personal protective equipment to all its jail staff as well as inmates who aren’t feeling well.
“I also think it’s very important to note the aggressive protocols we are following to mitigate the risk to the best of our abilities of having COVID-19 entering our jail,” Covelli said.
Ellis, who is now self-quarantining at a hotel in an effort to keep his family safe, said the jail’s efforts clearly aren’t enough since he had to have been infected while in the jail based on when he was arrested and when his symptoms began.
“I’m trying to deal with this virus right now because my plan was to get out, get a job and see my kids,” he said. “I haven’t seen my kids in almost two months, and I can’t be spending unnecessary money on bills and a hotel room for two weeks. It’s just been an emotional uphill battle right now. It’s really stressful.”
Covelli noted that the guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say those diagnosed with COVID-19 can self-quarantine at home by staying in a separate room, away from other family members.