Family member concerned over treatment of COVID-19 patients in Monterey County Jail

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Julianna Davis talks to her father, Robert Davis, every day. He's in the Monterey County Jail--home to one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks on the Central Coast.

On Sunday, Davis claimed her father wasn’t getting the care he needed after testing positive for the virus about a week beforehand.

"It’s been an adventure every day is like something different," Davis said. "It comes, it goes. It leaves. The hot, cold, diarrhea, everything."

Davis said her father just isn't getting the level of medical care that he deserves behind bars.

"For him to call me and be like, ‘they didn’t give me my medication today. The nurse was late, so they only gave me one aspirin and one cough drop,'" Davis said. "It’s like, okay, well that’s the nurse’s fault. They should still be serving you your daily meds."

KION called the jail and sheriff's office to discuss the allegations, but did not hear back. However, the sheriff's office has released data on the rising cases and their efforts to stop the spread.

Exactly one week ago, they reported 66 new COVID-19 cases diagnosed overnight. That brought the number up to 180 inmates testing positive. Since then, the sheriff's office has only reported seven more cases.

It's a possible sign that things are slowing down, but results haven’t been released for more than 100 remaining inmates.

The jail has continued constant temperature checks, along with keeping inmates in quarantine for 14 days when they first arrive.

But Davis said they need to focus more on care.

"Maybe give them a jacket or a long sleeve," Davis said. "Just something to keep them comfortable. Because people are dying from this virus."