Coronavirus Update: Cook County Jail Loses Third Detainee To COVID-19

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a statement that a third detainee passed away after testing COVID-19 positive. The news came amid a spike in new coronavirus cases in prisons only two days after the second inmate from the said prison died.

According to NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV, preliminary reports revealed that 42-year-old Nicholas Lee died of cardiac arrest. However, a ruling on the manner of his death was pending an autopsy following the sheriff office’s confirmation.

Lee’s death at the Stroger Hospital came two days after Leslie Pieroni, 51, succumbed to “complications due to the virus.” Pieroni was admitted to the hospital on April 3 and was confirmed to have been infected with the COVID-19 strain.

As of Sunday evening, the Cook County jail registered 306 confirmed coronavirus cases among detainees, marking one of the biggest COVID-19 clusters in the country.

Aside from inmates getting infected, 218 workers at the said Chicago prison have also tested positive. On-site testing for staff at the prison facility has been implemented by the New Roseland Community Hospital.

News of the third inmate’s death at the Cook County Jail amid ongoing calls for protection from the novel coronavirus among detainees since the first detainee, Jeffrey Pendleton, passed away after testing COVID-19 positive.

Attorneys for two inmates who have underlying health issues previously filed a lawsuit in demand for the release of high-risk detainees at the Cook County jail as the coronavirus rampages through prisons across the United States.

On Thursday, federal judge Matthew Kennelly denied the request to release vulnerable inmates, CBS News reported. Kennelly, on the other hand, ordered for immediate testing on all inmates who display coronavirus symptoms.

The sheriff’s office said in a statement that the lawsuit was “headline-seeking.” The office said it was unnecessary to file a lawsuit during the coronavirus outbreak.

Over in Kansas, prison officials at the Lansing Correctional Facility revealed that some inmates have been breaking windows and even setting up small fires since it was confirmed that almost 30 people have tested positive of the novel virus.

According to the Associated Press, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Corrections Rebecca White said around 20 men started disturbances in the afternoon and throughout the evening, until staff had to use tear gas to contain the detainees.

At least 28 people at the Lansing Correction Facility have tested positive of COVID-19, including 12 detainees. Corrections secretary Jeff Zmuda said it is unclear what triggered the inmates to cause disturbance.