Tuesday, January 12, 2021

State Prison Offender Dies after Testing Positive for COVID-19

Raleigh
Jan 12, 2021

A Rutherford Correctional Center offender with pre-existing medical conditions, who tested positive for COVID-19, has died at a hospital.

“We continue to work diligently to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in our prisons because the health and safety of the staff and the offender population continues to be our top priority,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons.

The offender was hospitalized on Jan. 11, when he tested positive for COVID-19. His condition worsened, and he died later the same day.

The offender was a male in his early-60s who had underlying health conditions. Given his family’s right to privacy and the confidentiality of prison offender records, the Department of Public Safety will not further identify the individual.

Prisons leadership has taken more than four dozen actions throughout the North Carolina prison system to try to prevent transmission of the virus. They are found here

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