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Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility inmate tests positive for COVID-19

According to the Iowa Department of Corrections, this is the first case of coronavirus, inmate or staff, at the Mount Pleasant facility.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa — An inmate at the Iowa Department of Corrections' Mount Pleasant facility has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the IDoC.

The inmate is a man in the 55-64-year age range.  He was put in medical isolation after first reporting not feeling well just after noon on Wednesday.

After that, the inmate was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he was tested for the virus.  He initially tested negative twice before UIHC called the facility to let them know he was in fact positive for COVID-19.  He is still at the hospital, where he is currently in stable condition.

This is the first case of COVID-19 at the Mount Peasant Correctional Facility. The IDoC has since announced additional tests with be given to other inmates and staff to identify where the inmate may have gotten the virus, as well as to make sure the virus was kept at bay with just the one person.

The Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility is one of three Iowa DoC locations to have at least one case of COVID-19 among its inmate population; the Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) has one case, while the Fort Dodge facility has had an outbreak of 104 positive cases among inmates.

33 inmates at the IMCC have recovered from COVID-19.  10 staff members there have also recovered, while four are currently fighting the virus.

State-wide, there are 105 positive COVID-19 cases among inmates at Iowa Department of Corrections facilities, and 16 staff members.  Six of the nine facilities have at least one case in either an inmate or a staff member, or both.

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