RICHMOND, Va. – An inmate from the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland who tested positive for COVID-19 died Tuesday morning at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, the Virginia Department of Corrections announced.
This is the state's first reported inmate death related to the virus.
The 49-year-old was admitted to VCU’s medical center on April 4 and tested positive for the novel coronavirus that day. VADOC officials say she had underlying health conditions - including asthma and Hepatitis-C - and had been hospitalized from April 4 until her death.
She was serving a nine-year sentence for manufacturing methamphetamine, delivery of drugs to prison and larceny. She had an expected release date in mid-2023. The VADOC will not release her name out of privacy for her family and the confidentiality of her medical records.
The VADOC, with about 30,000 incarcerated offenders and 12,000 employees, currently has 44 inmates and 32 staff with active COVID-19. The agency also supervises about 65,000 offenders in the community through probation and parole.
The VADOC is working closely with the Virginia Department of Health during this pandemic and following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for corrections. The agency is operating under a Pandemic Response Manual that follows American Correctional Association guidelines.
Much more information and the latest updates on COVID-19 in the state correctional facilities can be found here.
