The Department of Corrections and SCI Mahanoy officials report the first death of an inmate with COVID-19. This is the 26th inmate to die with COVID-19.

The 33-year-old inmate, whose name will not be released, died in a hospital. He was serving a sentence of 5 to 10 years for illegal possession of a gun. He had been at SCI Mahanoy since March 10.

“We continue our battle against this dangerous invisible enemy,” Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said. “With fall upon us, we are experiencing a resurgence. That is why it is vital to continue our aggressive mitigation efforts. We cannot let our guard down.”

According to a recent study by the Council on Criminal Justice, Pennsylvania is one of only six states where the COVID death rate in prison is lower than the state’s community COVID death rate.

As of Nov. 23, SCI Mahanoy reported a total of 100 active inmate cases and 40 active staff cases. These figures are subject to change at any time. Inmates who have tested positive are in isolation either in the prison’s infirmary or local hospitals. Employees who have tested positive must isolate at their homes and cannot return to work until they provide a doctor’s note clearing them to return.

“We are experiencing the same thing that our communities are experiencing, and we are following very strict procedures to mitigate the virus’ impact on our state prisons,” Wetzel said. “I’ve directed our staff to act aggressively and quickly when inmates report influenza-like illnesses, and that includes isolating and quarantining inmates, locking down units or entire prisons as needed, conducting regular cleanings and even 72-hour deep cleanings in order to protect staff and inmates.”

Visit the DOC’s website to stay up to date with DOC COVID-19 information and statistics.