4th Inmate Dies From Coronavirus At SCI Phoenix

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — There have been 9 coronavirus deaths in Pennsylvania state prisons, with four of them taking place at SCI Phoenix in Montgomery County. The fourth death was confirmed on Friday.

The ages of these individuals have not been released.

The facility was among the hardest hit statewide in terms of number of cases, as well. A total of 38 inmates tested positive for the virus, second only to SCI Huntingdon.

Of those 38, 33 had recovered by Friday, according to state data.

The facility had the first case of the virus back in late March. That one case led to a quarantine of all state prisons in Pennsylvania. Prisons began their "demobilization" process of returning to normal operations just a few weeks ago.

Hundreds of prisoners were released temporarily in order to limit populations and control the spread of the virus in facilities.

The demobilization plan includes five levels, ranging from a restrictive level 5 to the least restrictive level 1. Phoenix remains in level four.

All told, 254 inmates tested positive for the virus thus far in tests conducted across state prisons, while 2,806 tested negative. Of the 254 positives, 192 are recovered.

There are 44,600 inmates in 25 state prisons in Pennsylvania.