Inmate at prison in Columbia tests positive for coronavirus, officials say
The first confirmed case of an inmate at a South Carolina prison testing positive for the coronavirus was reported late Sunday night by the Department of Corrections.
The inmate diagnosed with COVID-19 is a 69-year-old man serving a life sentence at a prison in Columbia, SCDC officials said in a news release. He was locked up at Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center, according to the release.
The Kirkland inmate had pre-existing medical conditions and was placed in isolation on April 17, when he was tested for COVID-19, SCDC officials said. On Sunday, he was hospitalized after his results came back positive, according to the release.
While the inmate lives in a single cell, the other 121 prisoners in his unit have been placed on quarantine and their conditions are being monitored, and anyone with symptoms of the coronavirus will be tested, SCDC officials said.
That area of the prison was cleaned Sunday night, according to the release.
The inmate also worked in an administrative capacity in the reception center, according to the release.
“A contact investigation is being done to determine whether other inmates and staff have come in close contact with him,” officials said in the release. “Those inmates will be quarantined and monitored for 14 days, and staff will be self-monitored for symptoms.”
Negative tests have been returned for 22 of the 24 inmates tested for the coronavirus at the 21 prison facilities across the state operated by the Department of Corrections, according to the release. In addition to the one positive case, another is pending from an unrelated pre-operative screening, SCDC officials said.
There are 17,828 inmates in South Carolina.
Through Sunday, 35 SCDC employees have self-reported testing positive for the coronavirus, prison officials said. That includes eight non-institutional staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19. Approximately 5,000 people work at Corrections.
Three Kirkland staff members have tested positive, while 11 employees at Columbia’s Broad River Correctional Institution have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, SCDC reported.
That men’s-only, high-security institution, is not the only prison in Columbia where employees have tested positive for COVID-19. Two staff members at Camille Graham Correctional Institution have also tested positive for the coronavirus, according to SCDC. That is a women’s-only, medium-security prison also in the Broad River Road complex.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control was notified about the inmate testing positive for COVID-19, according to the release.
SCDC said it’s following DHEC’s guidelines to “ensure the health and safety of inmates and staff.”
“All inmates and staff have been given two masks, and they are encouraged to wear them whenever they are in close contact with anyone else,” officials said. “Living areas are being cleaned every two hours, and inmates have access to plenty of soap and sanitizer.”
Additionally, any patient with respiratory symptoms will be assessed by SCDC medical staff and tested for COVID-19 — if warranted, according to the release.
Only critical personnel are allowed to enter SCDC institutions, and everyone has their temperature taken and is screened for symptoms, officials said.
“SCDC remains diligent in its efforts to protect inmates and staff,” it said in the release.
On Sunday, 136 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in South Carolina, bringing the statewide total to 4,377 confirmed COVID-19 cases in all 46 counties, according to DHEC.
DHEC also announced that another person died after testing positive for the coronavirus, raising that total to 120. State health officials described 104 of the people as elderly, 16 patients were middle-aged, and all but 15 are confirmed to have had underlying medical conditions.
“There is currently no cure or vaccine,” the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said.
Though more than 100 people have died in South Carolina from the virus, the majority have recovered. About two-thirds of S.C. patients, or 67 percent, have recovered from the disease, according to DHEC.
There have been 36,103 combined negative tests at DHEC’s public health laboratory and at private labs.
Symptoms of coronavirus can include a fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, according to the CDC. Among the emergency warning signs of COVID-19 is trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, and blueish lips or face, the CDC said.
As of Sunday morning, 2,415,370 people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 165,903 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with 759,786 people who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. In the U.S. 40,683 deaths have been reported, including 14,451 in New York City, according to Johns Hopkins.
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 7:53 AM.
