US prison COVID-19 infections cross 30,000

A US university research group reported Wednesday that US prisons have reported 30,000 cases of coronavirus among inmates and guards.

Data compiled from official sources by the COVID-19 Behind Bars Project of the UCLA law school showed that out of more than two million people incarcerated nationwide, there were 21,007 confirmed coronavirus cases, and 295 deaths.

Among prison staff there were 8,754 cases and 34 deaths.

The data was complied from federal, state and local prisons across the country that report it.

Infections in prisons across the country have rocketed in recent weeks even as the national daily total appears to have reached a plateau.

Despite the intense hit of coronavirus on the US population, with 1.2 million confirmed cases and more than 70,000 deaths, some areas are still not open about prison infections, and others have done limited testing.

 

Dhaka/Mukul