OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A Nebraska inmate who tested positive for the coronavirus has died as state prison officials battle a surge in cases.
State Corrections Director Scott Frakes didn't identify the inmate but said he was in his 50s and had several underlying health conditions. He died Friday at a Lincoln hospital, where he had tested positive for COVID-19 after being initially admitted two weeks ago, the Omaha World-Herald reports.
The inmate was serving sentences for burglary, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a controlled substance. The crimes committed in Saunders and Lancaster Counties. The department did not reveal where the inmate had been housed.
A surge in coronavirus cases has forced two state prisons in recent days to go under quarantine. On Thursday, the department announced that eight additional prison staffers had tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases among staff members to 112.
A week ago, the department reported 82 new cases among inmates at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. Thirty new cases were reported at the Diagnostic & Evaluation Center in Lincoln.