Missouri prisoner tests positive for coronavirus, department of corrections says
A prisoner has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the Missouri Department of Corrections said Monday.
The man is the first among the state’s prison population to be infected, the agency said.
He had been monitored for a suspected respiratory condition and isolated in a negative airflow chamber at Western Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center in St. Joseph since March 4.
On Thursday, he was admitted to a Kansas City area hospital.
The department of corrections said no other prisoners have had contact with the patient since March 4 and no cases have been reported among staff.
Visitation was suspended March 12 in response to the threat of the spread of COVID-19 and staff is being screened.
The federal prison system saw its first inmate test positive on Saturday, the Associated Press reported.
Advocates have raised concerns about how the pandemic may impact millions of people behind bars, who live in tightly confined spaces and in often unsanitary conditions.
