10 new COVID-19 cases among Lexington federal prison inmates. Workers to be tested.
Ten new cases of COVID-19 have been reported among inmates at the Lexington Federal Medical Center, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department announced Tuesday.
The new cases in the prison and five other new cases in Lexington bring the city’s total number of cases since the COVID-19 outbreak began to 426, according to the health department. The city’s total includes 137 inmates at the Federal Medical Center.
Numbers reported by the Federal Bureau of Prisons are higher, with 157 total cases reported among inmates at the medical center and six cases among staff.
Lexington city officials said Tuesday the federal prison will finally start testing employees. City and local health officials have expressed frustration with the lack of cooperation from federal prison officials during the outbreak.
“There has been progress,” said Susan Straub, a spokeswoman for the city of Lexington. “The health department is taking test kits to them today and they will conduct more than 200 tests over the next several days. But they seem to lack a sense of urgency.”
Rapid testing is key to stopping the outbreak and protecting employees and inmates, Straub said.
“They need to test employees and inmates quickly so they can get this problem under control as soon as possible,” Straub said.
On Monday, the health department announced that an inmate had died at the Lexington Federal Medical Center, bringing the city’s total number of COVID-19 deaths to 10.
Juan Mata, 59, tested positive for COVID-19 on April 30, according to a release from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He was admitted to a hospital intensive care unit on May 5, intubated on May 8 and died on May 11, according to the release.
Mata was serving a more than 11-year sentence on a cocaine distribution conviction out of Texas.
The medical center on Leestown Road houses 1,223 inmates and 480 employees who come in contact with inmates. Another 203 inmates are held at a minimum-security camp on the campus.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 3:53 PM.
