An inmate at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex who tested positive for COVID-19 has died.
The Tennessee Department of Correction tells WPLN News the 78-year-old black man died last night and had an underlying health condition. The official cause of death is pending an autopsy.
Nearly 600 inmates tested positive for the coronavirus at the prison in East Tennessee. Officials say most never exhibited symptoms or have recovered since mass testing in April.
The Bledsoe County prison, along with Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, have emerged as two of the largest hotspots for the virus in the country. An inmate at Trousdale Turner died earlier this week — the first pandemic fatality in Tennessee’s prison system.
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