SANTA FE – The New Mexico Corrections Department has announced that a 31-year-old inmate died from COVID-19 at the Otero County Prison Facility.
The department reported Monday that the inmate, a man in his 30s whose name was not released, had multiple preexisting conditions.
His death was the first COVID-19 inmate fatality at the southern New Mexico facility, the Alamogordo Daily News reported.
The facility is owned by Otero County and operated by Management and Training Corp. for the state Department of Corrections.
There are 42 state Department of Corrections inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
New Mexico has announced 113 more coronavirus cases Monday and six additional deaths, increasing the totals in the state to 7,800 cases and 362 deaths, health officials said.
The six new deaths included two McKinley County residents, two from San Juan County, one from Socorro County and the inmate, who was listed as being from Otero County.
