By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A Missouri state prisoner who had been admitted to the St. Joseph prison in early March has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The prisoner is being treated at a Kansas City area hospital, where he was admitted on March 19th.
The Missouri Department of Corrections says he is the first prisoner diagnosed with the coronavirus.
The prisoner had been isolated in a negative airflow chamber at Western Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in St. Joseph since March 4th after being monitored for a suspected respiratory condition. No other prisoner had contact with the inmate. No staff has reported symptoms.
Corrections officials say medical and custody staff followed all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. All rooms and vehicles the offender occupied were immediately sanitized, according to the Department of Corrections. All staff who came into contact with the infected prisoners have been notified.