Snake River Correctional Institute. (Kezia Setyawan/The Enterprise)
A man with Covid imprisoned at the Snake River Correctional Institution died in the infirmary Wednesday, Aug. 12, the Oregon Department of Corrections announced Friday afternoon.
The department didn’t disclose Friday whether the inmate died because of Covid, and won’t release the inmate’s name because it is a Covid-related death.
The inmate was between 60 and 70 years old, and could have been transferred to Snake River Correctional Institution for medical care. Other inmates across the department have been transferred to Snake River Correctional Institution for Covid care.
The prison has 158 confirmed Covid cases among its 2,910 inmates, and 58 cases among its employees.
Pat Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, said Friday that cases at the prison were dropping “significantly.”
This is the second death of an inmate who has tested positive for Covid. The first death was at the Oregon State Penitentiary.
Snake River has been quarantined since the beginning of July.
Correction: The post has been updated to say that the prison has been under quarantine, not lockdown.
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News tip? Contact reporter Aidan McGloin at [email protected] or at 541-235-1005.
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