BISHOPVILLE, S.C. — A twelfth South Carolina inmate has died of the coronavirus, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC).
Officials said a 72-year-old inmate at Lee Correctional Institution, who had several underlying medical conditions, died at an outside hospital on August 11 after testing positive for the virus on July 27. He had been hospitalized since August 1.
Corrections officials said 38 offenders and 14 staff members at Lee Correctional Institution had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.
Systemwide, officials said 1,110 out of a total of 16,303 offenders have tested positive for the coronavirus. Of those, 330 have recovered and 768 are active cases. There are 102 active staff cases.
Corrections officials say 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 staff and offenders.
