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7th South Carolina inmate dies of coronavirus

Officials say the 70-year-old inmate, who tested positive for the coronavirus on July 7, had several underlying medical conditions.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A seventh South Carolina inmate has died of the coronavirus, according to the state prisons agency.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections said the 70-year-old inmate from MacDougall Correctional Institution died at an outside hospital Tuesday after having tested positive for the coronavirus on July 7. They add that he had several underlying medical conditions. 

RELATED: 6th South Carolina inmate dies of coronavirus

The agency said so far of the 16,822 offenders, 433 have tested positive for the coronavirus systemwide. Of those, 125 have recovered and 308 are active cases. There are 89 active staff cases. 

In one case, 84 offenders and 11 staff members at MacDougall Correctional have tested positive for COVID19.  

RELATED: Over 100 coronavirus cases reported at one SC prison

The agency said it is working closely with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to ensure proper guidelines and protocols are being followed to safely manage staff and offenders.

Chrysti Shain, a corrections spokesperson, shared in an earlier interview a little about those protocols.

"Inmates and staff clean living areas every two hours. Inmates on quarantine have their vitals checked twice daily. Everyone is required to wear masks unless they have a medical condition that precludes them from doing so," Shain said.  

RELATED: South Carolina prisons ramping-up testing in 'hot spot' locations as cases rise

She added that they've developed two apps to help with contact tracing and have a rapid testing machine from the state to get results more quickly. 

The National Guard has also been tapped to assist and things like visitation and community work remain suspended as the virus rages on.

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