Inmate from Minnesota Correctional Facility in Rush City dies after testing positive for COVID-19

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Another Minnesota prison inmate has died after a battle with COVID-19, state officials report.

Sunday, the Department of Corrections announced a 57-year-old man who was serving time at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Rush City died overnight while being treated at a St. Paul hospital.

The death marks the fifth prisoner to die after testing positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. It comes less than a week after another state prison inmate in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota died after contracting the disease.

The Department of Corrections has not yet released the identity of the man who passed away over the weekend as officials work to identify next of kin.

A Department of Corrections spokesperson says, currently, there are 49 inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Rush City and 21 prison staff members.

Systemwide, the DOC reports there are two other inmates from other facilities in critical condition with COVID-19 and several staff members are currently hospitalized battling the disease.

In a statement, Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said the prison system is working hard to control the spread of COVID-19 at facilities -- which officials say includes "comprehensive testing of all incarcerated people and staff in our facilities."

"The level of community spread of COVID-19 makes our extensive efforts to minimize the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in the state’s correctional facilities that much more challenging. We are committed to continuing our aggressive testing and spread mitigation efforts as we closely monitor the health status and medical needs of those who contract this virus," Schnell wrote.