A Riverside County jail inmate who tested positive for COVID-19 died Tuesday, marking the second coronavirus-related inmate death in three days.
The back-to-back deaths come as the Sheriff’s Department is facing questions from civil rights attorneys and activists about its efforts to protect people who live and work in the jails.
As of Wednesday, 141 inmates have tested positive for the virus and most have recovered, according to the Riverside University Health System-Public Health. The Sheriff’s Department has not provided a breakdown of coronavirus cases at each of the jails it runs.
Tuesday’s death came a month after the inmate, who was not identified, was booked into custody. He was arrested March 27 on suspicion of domestic violence and 10 days later, taken to a hospital for treatment of a preexisting medical condition. At the hospital, the man came down with flu-like symptoms and on April 15 tested positive for the virus.
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