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Source: Pete Souza / Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

The number of positive COVID-19 cases are still on the rise in our nation’s prisons. The Bureau of Prisons has released some shocking new statistics about how prisoners and employees are being affected by the virus.

Female Inmates Hiding their Faces

Source: Bill Gentile / Getty

According to TheHill, The Bureau of Prisons has released new data that shows out of 2,700 federal prisoners that were tested system wide, nearly 2,000 of them were positive for the virus, some 71 percent. Those 2,700 inmates tested represent just two percent of the nearly 150,000 in federal prisons. At least 31 federal inmates have died of the virus. Federal prison employees are also at risk, with 343 having tested positive.

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Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty

Jeffrey Allen, medical director for the federal Bureau of Prisons, said,“Really, this pandemic is challenging us to rethink almost everything we do, while keeping in mind the security requirements of correctional facilities.” Allen added that as many as 130 prisoners require hospitalization due to the virus on any given day. High-profile cases include an inmate who died after her baby was delivered through cesarean section while the woman was on a ventilator.

For more info on this sad situation, click here.

71% of Federal Inmates Tested are Positive!  was originally published on mycolumbusmagic.com