Department of Corrections Faces Legal Challenges as Employees Receive COVID-19 Vaccine
Inmates claiming inadequate protection from COVID-19 receive favorable judgement in on-going case against DOC, as staff receives first vaccines As of Jan. 10, statewide 27 adults in custody incarcerated by the Department of Corrections have died after testing positive for COVID-19, according to the DOC s Response to the Novel Coronavirus in Oregon website. There are 604 active cases among AICs statewide including 25 at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institute in Madras. Cases among DOC staff are self-reported due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, but there have been 43 such reported cases at DRCI to date, 705 statewide.
UMATILLA â Brandon Baker was already feeling symptoms when officials at Two Rivers Correctional Institution carried out a sick inmate from two cells down.
Another inmate, four cells away, said he saw the same inmate lying on his bed ill for nearly two weeks, receiving little care.
âHe looked like death,â the inmate, who asked for anonymity out of fear of retaliation, said. âI walked by and told him, âGet better broâ and he didnât even move. Like, comatose on his bed.â
The sick inmate, who was between 50 and 60 years old and was serving his sentence at TRCI, reportedly died on Saturday, Jan. 2, after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a press release that did not identify him by name. Heâs one of two inmates who have recently died as the institution endures the largest surge in COVID-19 cases among prisons in Oregon, with 235 active cases as of Wednesday, Jan. 6, according to data from the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC)
2 die, nearly 400 inmates sickened after COVID-19 outbreak at Oregon prison
Updated Jan 09, 2021;
Posted Jan 09, 2021
Nearly 400 inmates at Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 since Dec. 10, 2020, according to data from the Department of Corrections. Since the beginning of December 2020, 50 prison staff have also tested positive. (Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian)
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By Bryce Dole, East Oregonian
UMATILLA Brandon Baker was already feeling symptoms when officials at Two Rivers Correctional Institution carried out a sick inmate from two cells down.
Another inmate, four cells away, said he saw the same inmate lying on his bed ill for nearly two weeks, receiving little care.
Deer Ridge Correctional Institution - Most recent onset Jan. 4
Two Rivers Correctional Institute - Most recent onset Jan. 1
Salem Hospital - Most recent onset Jan. 1
WinCo Foods Distribution Center - Most recent onset Jan. 1
Ajinomoto Foods North America - Most recent onset Jan. 1
Oregon State Penitentiary - Most recent onset Dec. 31
Powder River Correctional Facility - Most recent onset Dec. 31
Legacy Mt Hood Medical Center - Most recent onset Dec. 31
Rainsweet Inc - Most recent onset Dec. 31
The largest active outbreak remains at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario. The outbreak was first identified on June 24 and the case count has continued to rise since then. There have been 574 coronavirus cases linked to the outbreak, with the most recent case reported on Dec. 29.
Deer Ridge Correctional Institution - Most recent onset Jan. 4
Two Rivers Correctional Institute - Most recent onset Jan. 1
Salem Hospital - Most recent onset Jan. 1
WinCo Foods Distribution Center - Most recent onset Jan. 1
Ajinomoto Foods North America - Most recent onset Jan. 1
Oregon State Penitentiary - Most recent onset Dec. 31
Powder River Correctional Facility - Most recent onset Dec. 31
Legacy Mt Hood Medical Center - Most recent onset Dec. 31
Rainsweet Inc - Most recent onset Dec. 31
The largest active outbreak remains at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario. The outbreak was first identified on June 24 and the case count has continued to rise since then. There have been 574 coronavirus cases linked to the outbreak, with the most recent case reported on Dec. 29.