NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee officials have reported the first death of a state inmate who tested positive for the coronavirus: a man who was among the nearly 1,300 inmates who tested positive at one prison.
The state Department of Correction said Tuesday that the 67-year-old man was an inmate at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, which is run by the Tennessee-based private company CoreCivic. The inmate was taken to the hospital April 25, tested positive there and died Monday, the department said. The inmate had underlying health conditions, said state Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey.
The exact cause of death is awaiting the medical examiner’s determination. The department and CoreCivic both declined to release the inmate’s name.
Officials say six inmates who tested positive in Tennessee’s prison system are hospitalized, including one in serious condition.
At the prison, inmates have been housed together according to whether they have the virus, said CoreCivic spokesman Ryan Gustin.