KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri Department of Corrections inmate has tested positive for COVID-19, the state agencies in charge of prisons announced Monday.
The unidentified man, who is being treated at a Kansas City-area hospital, is the first offender in the Missouri Department of Corrections system to test positive.
There are no reported positive tests among Missouri DOC staff at this time.
The man was admitted to the hospital March 19 after more than two weeks in isolation for a suspected respiratory condition.
According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, the man began treatment at Western Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in St. Joseph on March 4 and has not had contact with any other inmates since that time.
Staff interacting with the inmate have worn personal protective equipment, anyone who came in contact with him has been notified and all rooms or vehicles he was in were immediately sanitized.
Future updates will be available on the Missouri Department of Corrections’ COVID-19 website.
Health experts worry that prison populations could be vulnerable to a COVID-19 outbreak due to the difficulty in maintaining social distance and limiting groups to fewer than 10 people.
