Towards understanding COVID-19 prevalence and transmission in prisons

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infectivity in samples obtained from wastewater, stool, respiratory tract and living quarters within custody

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN18018895

Enrollment

Registered

2021-05-04

Start date

2021-05-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2021-05-17

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 infection) in prisoners within custody Infections and Infestations

Interventions

This study will involve 12 weeks sampling and analysis of wastewater across a single closed prison in England. This data will be compared to data obtained from a National Prison monitoring program inv

Copan Diagnostics) wetted with a non-toxic solution (universal transport media (UTM)). Samples will be analysed for SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial faecal contaminants. Surfaces will be wiped clean and steri

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

Male

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Volunteer person in prison who is recovering from SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19 disease)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Pre-existing medical conditions which place an individual in a higher risk category for COVID-19 2. Persons requiring significant medical intervention/hospitalisation

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
SARS-CoV-2 infectivity measured using integrated cell culture reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in wastewater, faecal stool samples, N/T swabs and environmental swabs. Faecal indicator bacteria will be assessed using the plate count method on the environmental swabs. The viral RNA titre for SARS-CoV-2 will be assessed in all samples using RT-qPCR. This data will be collected for each COVID-19 positive prisoner/prisoner cell twice and at least 15 days apart. The date of the first positive COVID-19 test will also be ascertained to estimate where the individual is in the infection cycle and likely shedding profile.	—

Measure

Time frame

SARS-CoV-2 infectivity measured using integrated cell culture reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in wastewater, faecal stool samples, N/T swabs and environmental swabs. Faecal indicator bacteria will be assessed using the plate count method on the environmental swabs. The viral RNA titre for SARS-CoV-2 will be assessed in all samples using RT-qPCR. This data will be collected for each COVID-19 positive prisoner/prisoner cell twice and at least 15 days apart. The date of the first positive COVID-19 test will also be ascertained to estimate where the individual is in the infection cycle and likely shedding profile.

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
HMPPS testing data, specifically symptomatic and asymptomatic testing data from HMPPS for COVID-19, influenza-like illness and acute respiratory infections, and any suitable and available mass testing data (e.g. lateral flow, PCR or L-AMP assay data) from within the prison being investigated in the preceding 90 days and in the 14 days post-assessment of the primary outcome measures	—

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026