MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A 67-year-old Alabama inmate has died in custody at a hospital, four months after contracting the coronavirus in a state facility.
Willie Bernard Collins died at a hospital near Montgomery on Thursday, the Alabama Department of Corrections said Monday. Twenty-four state inmates and two prison employees have died after getting the virus, according to the state prison system
Collins was housed at the Staton Correctional Facility’s infirmary because due to preexisting health conditions, the agency said. He tested positive for the coronavirus on June 11 and was hospitalized near Montgomery at the end of July after developing COVID-19, according to officials.
The inmate was serving a life sentence on a murder charge, the agency said.
The state prison system has reported coronavirus cases in 21 out of 26 facilities.
Alabama has documented 430 cases of coronavirus among the state prison population to date, according to the prison system. The Department of Corrections said 25 cases are currently active. There have been 408 cases among prison employees and 42 of those remain active.
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