Second Lee State inmate dies of COVID-19

A second inmate at Lee State Prison in southwest Georgia has died of complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The man’s name was not being released pending notification of his family. According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, he was hospitalized in Albany on March 18.

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He was pronounced dead late Saturday night. A DOC spokeswoman said he had underlying medical conditions that made him more susceptible to COVID-19.

As of Sunday afternoon nine staff members and seven inmates at Lee State have tested positive for the disease -- well above the numbers at any other Georgia detention facility. There have been 39 confirmed COVID-19 cases -- 24 staff members, 15 inmates -- inside the state prison system.

The only two deaths recorded so far have been at Lee State, which is adjacent to Dougherty County. Thirty residents of Dougherty have died from COVID-19, more than any other county in Georgia.

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