29-Year-Old Inmate Dies Of COVID-19 Complications After Testing Positive In Texas Jail

A 29-year-old inmate of a Texas county jail has reportedly died of COVID-19 complications, as concerns rise about the low vaccination rates in prisons across the U.S.

Vanessa Estrada, an inmate of Bexar County Jail, died Saturday at University Hospital, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) said. Estrada tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 4, while she was incarcerated in the jail, media outlet KSAT reported.

She was initially booked in the jail on Dec. 6 for assault bodily injury.

After she tested positive, Estrada was relocated to another unit for quarantine until her condition began to worsen. A few weeks later, she was taken to University Hospital for further treatment.

"Preliminarily, it is believed that Estrada succumbed due to complications from COVID-19 and pre-existing Tuberculosis," BCSO said in a release Sunday, according to Kens5. "Additionally, there is no indication that Estrada had been vaccinated while in our custody."

The Bexar County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office reportedly said an investigation into Estrada’s death was ongoing. The BCSO Internal Affairs and Public Integrity Units were also conducting separate investigations.

The incident comes as several jails in different states have been reporting COVID-19 related deaths.

Media reports said last week an inmate at Riverview Correctional Facility in Ogdensburg, New York, reportedly died of COVID-19. Authorities said the unvaccinated 60-year-old was admitted to a hospital, where he died on Jan. 21. "People were dying in New York State prisons every three days before the pandemic, so it’s important to recognize that these COVID deaths are happening on top of a crisis that’s been with us for more than a decade," prison advocacy group Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) director Jose Saldana said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible and advised those eligible to get a booster shot.

A recent study by health care foundation The Commonwealth Fund stated that vaccines prevented approximately 1.1 million additional COVID-19 deaths and more than 10.3 million additional COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. by November 2021. An estimated 1,087,191 additional deaths and 10,319,961 more hospitalizations were averted in the U.S. between Dec. 12, 2020, and Dec. 30, 2021, because of the vaccination program.

According to the World Health Organization, the United States reported 5,60,704 cases in the last 24 hours and reported 3,740 deaths.