RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Ten inmates at a Virginia prison which holds many elderly and otherwise vulnerable inmates have died from COVID-19, officials said.
Deerfield Correctional Center, which is located in Capron, 69 miles (111 kilometers) south of Richmond, has an assisted living unit and infirmary and holds many of the state prison system’s elderly and medically impaired offenders, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Wednesday. Many of the inmates at Deerfield sleep in dormitories, making social distancing difficult if not impossible, the newspaper reported.
Figures posted Tuesday by the Virginia Department of Corrections also showed that 36 staff members at Deerfield also currently are positive for COVID-19. Lisa Kinney, a department spokeswoman, wrote in an email that “some staff have temporarily been moved to Deerfield from other facilities, both security staff and nursing staff.”
Kinney reported that additional temporary nurses have been hired and the department has moved medical staff from other facilities to Deerfield. She said all medical and kitchen staff are wearing N95 masks.
With 10 deaths, Deerfield has the most for any facility in Virginia. The rural Southside prison holds 925 inmates.
Figures posted on the department website late Tuesday show that in all, 24 inmates with COVID-19 have died in the pandemic.
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