At Miami-Dade prison with almost no reported cases, first inmate dies of COVID-19
The most recent Florida inmate to die of COVID-19 was incarcerated at Dade Correctional Institution near Homestead, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The man, who was not identified, is the 12th inmate to die of the highly contagious disease, which has infected 1,473 inmates and 261 staff members throughout the state’s prison system.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, there have been just three other infected inmates at Dade CI.
The bulk of inmate cases are concentrated in 10 correctional facilities in various parts of the state, including Hamilton Correctional Institution, Liberty Correctional Institution, South Bay Correctional Facility and Homestead Correctional Institution, a women’s prison that is adjacent to Dade CI.
Dade CI holds about 1,521 inmates.
Miami-Dade County remains a hot spot for the spread of COVID-19, with the county accounting for roughly a third of the cases statewide. In addition to prisons like Homestead, outbreaks have also occurred at county jails, where nearly 500 inmates — 41% of those tested — have contracted the disease.
As of Thursday, 12,470 tests have been administered to inmates, but total number of tests includes re-tests, making it unclear how many of the state’s roughly 94,000 inmates have been tested. The department does not disclose how many staff members have been tested for the disease.
The other inmate deaths occurred at Blackwater River Correctional Facility (seven), Sumter Correctional Institution (three) and Union Correctional Institution (one).
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 6:38 PM.