Coronavirus cases have surged in Californias prisons again as the omicron variant spreads across the country.

There are over 2,300 active COVID-19 cases among incarcerated people in California prisons currently up from some 52 reported cases in early December.

Half a dozen state prisons have seen COVID-19 outbreaks of over 100 new cases in the last two weeks.

And more than 3,800 prison employees in California currently have COVID-19. Staffers arent required to be vaccinated unless they work in health care roles.

The states corrections department said in a statement that the agency has been taking immediate steps to protect those who live in, work at and visit our state prisons, noting that hospitalizations are low (three incarcerated people are currently hospitalized) and 80% of those incarcerated and 69% of staff are fully vaccinated.

Since the start of the pandemic, a reported 246 people incarcerated in Californias prisons have died from the virus.

An inspector generals report last year slammed Californias correctional department for causing an outbreak at San Quentin prison that infected some 2,000 incarcerated people and killed over two dozen.