MOUNT VERNON – Two of Knox County’s confirmed COVID-19 cases have ties to the state prison system.
According to Knox Public Health spokeswoman Pam Palm, two of the county’s patients are employees at Marion Correctional Institution. The first case, a 28-year-old male, was reported April 8; the second, a 54-year-old male, was reported Wednesday.
Both patients are currently isolated at home, according to Knox Public Health.
Marion Correctional Institution became the state’s first prison to announce a confirmed COVID-19 case on March 29, when one of its staff members tested positive. Since then, at least 67 staff members and 47 inmates have tested positive for the virus, according to the Marion Star.
One infected staff member has died – 55-year-old John Dawson, of Mansfield – after testing positive March 30. Dawson worked in the prison’s control center, distributing equipment to staff. He reportedly had underlying health conditions.
Marion Correctional Institution housed more than 2,500 inmates as of last July, according to the prison system’s website. Nearly 500 staff members work at the facility.
MCI has worked with the Ohio Department of Health to try to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the prison, although inmates and correctional officers have voiced their concerns about the effectiveness of such measures.
One correctional officer told reporters the outbreak was “out of control” in the facility, and inmates have shared concerns about proximity. As of Monday, only 109 of the facility’s 2,500 inmates had been tested, according to the Marion Star.
MCI is currently operating under “modified movement,” according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s website.
“We have worked for several weeks implementing changes within our operations to address the challenges presented by COVID-19,” DRC Director Annette Chambers-Smith said in a statement. “Each facility has unique plans in place that address this specific situation. Our staff member is at home recovering and we will continue to work tirelessly to keep our staff and incarcerated individuals safe and healthy.”
DRC has suspended visitations indefinitely since the COVID-19 outbreak began, and has only permitted “mission critical” contractors to enter facilities (they are subject to health screenings upon entry). Only mission critical transfers are permitted to take place (including reception, medical and security), and no outside inmate workers are allowed inside facilities.
MCI isn’t the only state prison to have been hit by the novel coronavirus. Pickaway Correctional Institution, located south of Columbus, reported an 80-percent increase in infections on Wednesday, as 132 inmates at the facility have tested positive. Two have died within the last week. Thirty-nine prison employees have also contracted the virus, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Statewide, 273 prison inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, as of Wednesday. The number of infected employees has jumped to 159.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that he is approving the early release of 105 prison inmates in Ohio who had been scheduled to be released in the next 90 days, in an effort to prevent crowding and limit the spread of infection in the prison system.
Ohio dropped its overall prison population by 311 inmates last week due to efforts of local courts to reduce their jail populations and to hold only critical hearings to allow more room for social and physical distancing.
Knox County currently has 11 confirmed COVID-19 cases. There have been 103 people tested in Knox County, according to numbers provided Wednesday by Knox Public Health. Eighty-four tests have turned up negative, and test results are pending for eight cases. Fifteen individuals within the county are being monitored. One patient, Mount Vernon resident David Waddell, 90, has died.
