BRIDGETON — Three more inmates at a South Jersey prison have died from COVID-19, according to state officials.
The state Department of Corrections dashboard, which shows cases in facilities throughout New Jersey, has been updated to show three additional fatalities at South Woods State Prison.
The facility recorded its first inmate death attributed to the new coronavirus last month.
Asked for the identity of the inmate and details of their incarceration, Matthew Schuman, spokesman for the DOC, said due to medical privacy reasons, he could not disclose a specific individual’s personal information.
There are three DOC facilities in South Jersey, all in Cumberland County. In addition to South Woods, there are Southern State Correctional Facility and Bayside State Prison, both in Maurice River Township.
The number of cases in state facilities continues to rise.
So far, nine employees and 21 inmates at South Woods have tested positive. Southern State has reported cases in 59 employees and 14 inmates, and Bayside has reported cases in three employees and three inmates. No fatalities have been reported at Southern State or Bayside.
Thirty-five deaths have been attributed to the new coronavirus throughout 16 state prison facilities, according to the DOC.
As of Monday, 245 inmates have been tested for the new coronavirus, according to the DOC. There have been 194 positives, 38 negatives and 13 pending.
