SANFORD, Fla. — The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that it is investigating a possible COVID-19-related death of an inmate at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility.
Investigators said medical staff saw the inmate Aug. 19 for congestion and cold symptoms.
The inmate was tested for the virus Aug. 22 after being transferred to a medical unit to receive treatment for a cough and sore throat.
He was taken to a hospital Aug. 24 after testing positive for the virus because of his medical conditions and age.
The inmate died Tuesday afternoon.
The jail said it added new safety procedures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus after reporting an increase in positive cases in mid-August.
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Officials said two housing units were placed under a lockdown after a staff member reported not feeling well and later testing positive for the virus.
More testing was conducted thereafter as a precaution, the Sheriff’s Office said.
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Officials said 95 inmate and 19 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
“The majority of the inmates who tested positive are asymptomatic and were confined within two housing pods,” the agency said in a statement.
Officials said 2,057 inmates and 338 workers have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
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