KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri Department of Corrections inmate who was being treated at a Kansas City-area hospital for COVID-19 died last week.
The man, who was held in isolation for two weeks before being transferred to the hospital on March 19, died April 2, according to a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections.
He tested positive for COVID-19 on March 23 and later tested negative for the virus twice. He continued to be treated with multiple serious medical conditions in the hospital, where he died.
Karen Pojmann, communications director for the Department of Corrections, said a cause of death cannot be determined because autopsies are not being performed on patients who had COVID-19.
The inmate was housed at the Western Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in St. Joseph. The Department of Corrections said no other inmates had contact with him since March 4, and staff wore personal protective equipment and took other safety precautions.
He was the first offender in the Missouri Department of Corrections system to test positive for COVID-19.
