Oregon Dept. of Corrections reports sixth death of inmate with COVID-19

Snake River Institution inmate, 60-70 years old, died at area hospital

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- An inmate at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario who tested positive for COVID-19 died Sunday at an area hospital, the sixth state prison inmate to die with the virus, Oregon Department of Corrections said Monday.

As with past cases, the agency did not provide details beyond that the man was between 60 and 70 years old.

As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified and the medical examiner will determine cause of death, the department said in a news release, which continues in full below:

For more information on COVID-19 cases inside Oregon’s prisons, visit DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in the 14 institutions across the state.

Institutions continue to clean and disinfect numerous times a day, the agency said. Posters are in all DOC institutions encouraging individuals to maintain proper hygiene and to uphold appropriate social distancing to the extent possible.

Health screening processes are in place before staff are allowed to enter facilities. Visiting remains closed until further notice.

DOC requires employees and AICs (adults in custody) to wear masks if they cannot maintain six feet of social distancing. Wearing masks is mandatory in health services areas, some work areas, and in food services areas.

Cloth masks have been provided to AICs and staff. If an AIC becomes ill and exhibits flu like symptoms, then CDC and OHA guidance for supportive care are followed.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, DOC issued a press release when an AIC passed away. This notification would include the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death. However, no cause of death would be listed because the medical examiner makes that determination.

"In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19," the department said.

The DOC said it is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19-related data and information on the OHA website.