A North Texas federal prison has more than 1,000 prisoners with COVID-19, one of whom died from the virus, reports NBC News.
According to the report, the Seagoville Federal Correctional Institute has a total of 1,798 inmates and at least 1,072 have tested positive for coronavirus.
An inmate, James Giannetta, 65, died Thursday after testing positive on June 26, NBC reports. He experienced shortness of breath and spent time on a ventilator. He reportedly had pre-existing conditions. Giannetta was in prison on a drug charge and a conspiracy to launder money charges.
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the high count makes the Federal Correctional Institute in Seagoville home to the largest coronavirus outbreak of any federal prison in the United States.
Prisoners’ families told NBC News that inmates have complained that the prison faces deteriorating conditions and that the air conditioning systems are not working properly.
In total, 3,600 federal inmates and more than 300 prison officials across the country have tested positive for COVID-19. Thousands of inmates have also recovered from the virus and 97 inmates and one employee have died.
Friday’s news comes as correction facilities have become a hot spot for the virus, which spreads easily in confined spaces. Many have expressed concern that inmates are not protected against COVID-19, and some states, such as California, have taken steps to reduce their inmate population to prevent the spread of the virus.
Tensions over the issue escalated to the point that a riot broke out in a New Mexico jail on Monday as prisoners demanded better coronavirus testing capabilities and were angered by a reduction in hot meals due to a lack of staff. cooking.
.
