COLUMBIA, S.C. — Over 20 inmates have died due to complications from the coronavirus.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) announced the death of an offender from Broad River Correctional Institution, who was positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
Terry Lee Alewine, 61, died at the institution Tuesday, Sept. 8. According to SCDC, he had several underlying medical conditions.
He had previously tested negative for COVID-19, but his test came back positive after his death.
As of Thursday, 360 offenders and 54 staff members at Broad River have tested positive for COVID-19.
Of those, 336 offenders and 28 staff are active cases; 19 offenders and 26 staff members have recovered. SCDC, with 16,162 offenders, has had 1,932 offenders test positive for the coronavirus system-wide.
Of those, 966 have recovered and 945 are active cases. There are 84 active staff cases.
This is the department’s 21st inmate death associated with the virus. SCDC is working closely with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to ensure proper guidelines and protocols are being followed to safely manage our staff and offenders.
Further updates about the agency’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found on their website.