RUSH CITY, Minn. — A 57-year-old man who was an inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Rush City died late Saturday after being diagnosed with COVID-19, Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) officials said.
The man died at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul.
“We extend our condolences to the family and friends of this man,” said DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell. “The level of community spread of COVID-19 makes our extensive efforts to minimize the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in the state’s correctional facilities that much more challenging. We are committed to continuing our aggressive testing and spread mitigation efforts as we closely monitor the health status and medical needs of those who contract this virus.”
DOC reported that this is the fifth COVID-related death of an inmate in their system since the start of the pandemic.
This is the first death in the Rush City facility, which has 49 COVID-positive inmates and 21 COVID-positive staff, DOC officials said.
The DOC said they have developed COVID-19 responses for their facilities, which can be accessed here.