TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – An 18th Florida inmate has died from complications of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, the state Department of Corrections reported on Wednesday.
The inmate, whose name was not disclosed by the department, is the third prisoner to die from COVID-19 in less than a week.
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The Department of Health reported that the 18 inmates have died while incarcerated at Sumter Correctional Institution, Union Correctional Institution, South Florida Reception Center, Liberty Correctional Institution, Dade Correctional Institution, Everglades Correctional Institution, Blackwater River Correctional Facility and South Bay Correctional Facility.
Blackwater River and South Bay are operated by The Geo Group Inc., a private contractor.
South Florida Reception Center, a prison in Doral with 31 inmate cases, is the latest facility to report an outbreak. It has recorded 26 new inmate cases and one inmate death in the past week.
As of Wednesday, 1,592 inmates and 295 corrections workers across the state had tested positive for COVID-19.
While some inmates have been hospitalized, the exact number of inmate hospitalizations across the state is not clear.
The News Service of Florida has repeatedly requested the information since May 19.