Ridgeland inmate dies after hospitalized for COVID. He was 35th virus death in SC prisons
An inmate at Ridgeland Correctional Institution died Tuesday after being hospitalized with COVID-19, a state corrections news release said. He was the 35th inmate to die of COVID-related illness in a South Carolina prison since the pandemic began.
Charles Ellis Sr., 65, had tested positive for the coronavirus on Dec. 27. The release said he had underlying health conditions.
While other state prisons had cases of COVID-19, the Ridgeland Correctional Institution was one of the last to report an infection. In July, a staff member in the Jasper County facility tested positive; the first inmate to test positive was in August.
As of Tuesday, 53 inmates at Ridgeland had tested positive, with 43 of those cases still “active”; 14 staff members had tested positive, and eight of those cases were still active.
Throughout the state, 2,728 inmates have contracted the coronavirus since March. There are 344 active cases among inmates and 151 among staff.
The S.C. Department of Corrections “is working closely with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to ensure proper guidelines and protocols are being followed to safely manage our staff and offenders,” the release said.
A week before Ellis’ death, a 53-year-old Ridgeland Correctional inmate was found dead in his cell. Leonard Jones’ death is being investigated by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, which previously told The Island Packet the agency does not suspect suspicious causes.
