Deer Ridge’s third inmate dies after testing positive for COVID-19

(Update: DOC says Two Rivers inmate is 30th to die with COVID-19)

Outbreak in prison near Madras eased, with 23 active cases

MADRAS, Oregon (KTVZ) – An inmate at Deer Ridge Correctional Facility near Madras who tested positive for COVID-19 died at an area hospital on Saturday, the Oregon Corrections Department reported.

The adult in custody (AIC) was between 55 and 65 years old, the agency said in a statement. As with other COVID-19 related deaths, the DOC has not released additional details.

As with all deaths in custody, Oregon State Police have been notified and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

He was the 29th state prison inmate to die who tested positive for COVID-19.

Later Saturday, the agency said an inmate at Two Rivers Correctional Facility in Umatilla died at a local hospital on Saturday. The man, aged 75 to 85, was the 30th state prison inmate to test positive for COVID-19.

For more information on COVID-19 cases in Oregon prisons, visit the DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 13,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in 14 facilities across the state.

According to the Department of Correctional Services’ COVID-19 tracker, there are 23 currently active COVID-19 cases among inmates at Deer Ridge, up from more than 100 reported during an outbreak last month. The number of self-reported cases by staff rose to 43.

To date, the facility has recorded 243 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,472 negative test results. Like most state prisons, Deer Ridge is on Level 4, with the entire institution in quarantine.

Overall, there are 544 active cases of COVID-19 reported in state prisons, with 2,994 total positive tests, 2,353 inmates recovered and 14,800 negative test results. Seventy inmates who tested positive were released on parole.

A total of 744 state prison staff have reported positive COVID-19 test results, of which 567 have recovered.

Anyone entering DOC property is required to wear a mask or face covering in any indoor working environment or other indoor premises, regardless of distance from others, unless they are are in a private, individual office not shared by anyone else; or they are actively eating or drinking AND at least six (6) feet apart can be kept between other people. Masks are mandatory at all times in many work areas.

Establishments continue to clean and disinfect several times a day. DOC is asking AICs to report symptoms of COVID to medical staff.

Posters are present in all DOC institutions to encourage individuals to maintain good hygiene and maintain appropriate social distancing as much as possible.

Medical screening processes are in place before staff are permitted to enter facilities. This screening includes a temperature control and a screening questionnaire. The visit remains closed until further notice.

The DOC began administering the COVID-19 vaccines – eventually offering them to all DOC staff, contractors, Oregon Corrections Enterprises employees, and adults in custody.

Vaccine prioritization is determined by guidelines from the Oregon Health Authority, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the Office of the Governor.

Before the COVID-19 crisis, the DOC issued a press release on the death of an AIC. This notification would include the name of the person, the county of the conviction, the length of the sentence and the date of death.

However, no cause of death would be listed, as the medical examiner makes this decision.

“In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the process for notifying AIC of death when a person dies who has tested positive for COVID-19” , the agency said. “DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to post data and information related to COVID-19 on the OHA website.”