Miami Correctional COVID deaths highest in the state

Carson Gerber, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.

Feb. 22—BUNKER HILL — Miami Correctional Facility has reported two more COVID-related inmate deaths in the last month, bringing the total to 11 and making it the highest death total among the state's prisons.

In December, the facility reported three confirmed inmate deaths due to COVID, and another four deaths presumed to be from the virus, making it the third highest combined death rate in the state.

By mid-January, the prison had reported two more confirmed COVID deaths. Since then, the prison added another confirmed death and presumed death from the virus.

In total, 38 confirmed deaths and 12 presumed death have been reported at the 22 facilities operated by the Indiana Department of Correction. Half of those have no reported deaths.

On Friday, Miami Correctional had no reported cases of COVID inside the facility. Since the pandemic started, the prison has totaled 250 cases, with 239 making a recovery, according to numbers provided by the state.

The total prison population sits at around 3,100.

Three staff members currently have the virus. In total, 93 workers have tested positive and one had died from COVID.

The prison had its first major virus outbreak in September, when nearly 60 inmates and five prison workers tested positive over a single weekend. The spike caused the prison to go on lockdown as the Indiana Department of Health came to the facility to do rapid testing.

Before the outbreak, only two inmates and five staff in total had tested positive since the Indiana Department of Correction started testing for COVID.

On Friday, only 33 inmates in total had COVID at the 22 facilities operate by the IDOC.

Carson Gerber can be reached at 765-854-6739, carson.gerber@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter @carsongerber1.

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