US prisons hit by Covid-19 infections, fatalities

More than 14,400 inmates have been infected by the coronavirus and over 215 have been killed, according to the Marshall Project, a non-partisan news organisation that tracks the US criminal justice system

US prisons that hold the world’s largest population of incarcerated people have been hit by a wave of Covid-19 infections and fatalities and appear to be particularly vulnerable as an institution, according to multiple experts and bodies tracking their spiraling numbers.

A inmate wears a face mask while standing outside of tents at the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Terminal Island prison in this aerial photograph taken above Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Friday, May 1, 2020. ] (Bloomberg)

More than 14,400 inmates have been infected by the coronavirus and over 215 have been killed, according to the Marshall Project, a non-partisan news organisation that tracks the US criminal justice system. Official numbers as reported by the Bureau of Prisons, the federal body that runs and manages prison, 1,919 have been infected and 37 killed.

There are 1,41,310 inmates in federally-managed institutions and 10,820 in community-based facilities in all; and 36,000 staff members,

Reasons for the spiraling infections are clear. Inmates live in tight spaces, and mid low levels of hygiene. And they have suffered from the same shortages of essential medical supplies as the rest of the country. Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal complained of a shortage of testing supplies and said that quarantining remains difficult, AFP news agency reported. “We don’t have the option to close our doors or pick who or when someone is sent to our custody.”

Reports are rising numbers of infections and fatalities in US prions come amidst reopening of the rest of the country as number of new cases have continued to decline, and hospitalization and intubation has dropped.

The death toll rose to 66,415 Sunday morning with 1,426 in the last 24 hours, which is far lower than the more than 4,000 at the peak mid-April, and the number of cases went up to 1.13 million; up by 29,078 .

While pressure have mounted for reopening the country, with President Donald Trump at the forefront, experts are urgently flagging concerns. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the president’s task force on the coronavirus outbreak, told Fox News Sunday, she was disturbed the protestors who swamped the state assembly in Michigan’s capital, Lansing, last week, some of whom were armed with guns. President Trump has backed them.

“It’s devastatingly worrisome to me personally because if they go home and they infect their grandmother or grandfather who has a co-morbid condition and they have a serious or very unfortunate outcome, they will feel guilty for the rest of their lives. So we need to protect each other at the same time as we’re voicing our discontent,” she said.

In another development, Republican and Democratic leaders of US congress have jointly — in rare bipartisanship — rejected the White House’s offer of instant testing kits for lawmakers. The senate is scheduled to return to work on Monday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said in a joint statement, the testing kits on offer can be used better among frontline workers dealing with the outbreak.

“No reason to turn it down, except politics,” Trump hit back in a tweet. “We have plenty of testing. Maybe you need a new doctor over there. Crazy Nancy will use it as an excuse not to show up to work.”