Inmate in southern Illinois US prison dies of COVID-19

MARION, Ill. - An inmate at the Federal Bureau of Prisons facility in the southern Illinois city of Marion has died of complications from COVID-19, the agency revealed Wednesday.

The Bureau of Prisons said Earl James, 65, died Sunday after testing positive for the virus on July 22. Prison officials did not say why James, a Native American, was incarcerated at the prison or give his home town.

As of Wednesday, the Marion facility had 84 inmates and four staff members with active cases of COVID-19. The facility houses about 1,262 inmates.

The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale reports that to date, 1,807 federal inmates and 531 Bureau of Prison staff nationwide have confirmed positive test results for COVID-19. One staff member and 108 federal inmates have died.

A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson says the agency has a comprehensive management approach to COVID-19 that includes screening, testing, appropriate treatment, prevention, education and infection control measures.