COLUMBIA, S.C. — Three inmates at a South Carolina prison have died after testing positive for COVID-19, bringing the death toll at the facility up to five, officials said.
Broad River Correctional Institution inmates Terry Lee Alewine, 61, Paul Earl Jeter, 73, and Sam Harold Smith, 78, suffered from coronavirus-related deaths this week, news outlets reported.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections said 21 inmates have died throughout the corrections system after testing positive for COVID-19.
All three men had underlying medical conditions before they were diagnosed with COVID.
Smith tested positive for the virus on Aug. 21. He died Sunday after being hospitalized for five days.
Alewine originally tested negative for the virus but a test performed after he died Tuesday came back positive.
Jeter also died on Tuesday. He was diagnosed on Sept. 3 and died in palliative care.
As of Thursday morning, 360 inmates and 54 staff members at Broad River have tested positive for COVID-19, officials told The State newspaper.
Broad River has the second highest positive rate, behind Tyger River Correctional Institution, where 444 prisoners have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
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