UMATILLA – According to the Oregon Department of Corrections, two inmates at the Two Rivers Correctional Umatilla correctional facility died last week after testing positive for COVID-19.
Four people have now died since the beginning of January in the latest increase in cases, the Oregon Department of Corrections said.
State data shows that 101 inmates and 24 staff members at Two Rivers tested positive for COVID-19 last week, the Eastern Oregonian reported.
The prison’s total number of active cases among inmates also rose to 258 from January 13, according to state data.
It is the highest among inmates in Oregon, with the second highest from Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, which reportedly has 128 active cases among inmates.
Two Rivers has reported more COVID-19 cases among adults in custody than any other prison in Oregon since the onset of the pandemic, with a total of 589, according to state data. Among the staff, 107 tested positive, the third most in the state.
The Department of Corrections said the first prisoner of the two rivers who died this week after testing positive was a man between 70 and 80 years old.
The second inmate to die this week after testing positive was a man between 65 and 75. He died at a local hospital on Thursday, according to a new statement from the agency.
– The Associated Press