Delaware’s Department of Correction reports another inmate death related to COVID-19.
81-year-old Jim Hunter, Jr is the latest victim. The Vaughn Correctional Center inmate died Sunday at Bayhealth Hospital. He had multiple underlying conditions in addition to COVID-19. His death is the fourth inmate fatality during the pandemic. All four victims had been housed at Vaughn prison.
DOC only announced one new positive COVID-19 test among inmates. It was at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution.
But six more correctional officers have tested positive – two and Vaughn and six at Howard Young. The six at Howard Young were all asymptomatic and found last week during voluntary proactive testing.
"Across our correctional system today, only 15 inmate COVID patients from only two facilities are experiencing symptoms of illness, while 60 inmates with positive test results, whose illness was caught early through close monitoring or were identified through proactive testing, are demonstrating no symptoms of illness and are continuing to be closely monitored in isolation at our COVID-19 treatment center,” DOC Commissioner Claire DeMatteis said in a statement. “It is important and encouraging to note that over the past six days the number of inmates recovering is significantly outpacing the number of new cases.
In all, 136 inmates have tested postive to date. 57 have recovered. 78 correctional officers, staff and contract workers have tested positive overall – with 12 recovered.
