FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) - Pathologists will determine whether coronavirus killed an inmate in a northwestern Iowa prison, officials said, as the state deals with increasing numbers of people infected with the virus.
Ronald Eugene Holdworth, 62, died Saturday morning as he was being taken from the prison to a hospital, a news release Monday from the Iowa Department of Corrections said. The State Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine whether COVID-19 was a factor in his death. The release said Holdworth had been imprisoned since May 2008, serving a 25-year sentence for second-degree sexual abuse.
The Fort Dodge Correctional Facility has reported more than 100 inmates and nine employees have tested positive for the virus. One inmate at the facility died last week from the virus.
News of Holdworth’s death came as data collected by the state showed nearly 500 new cases of COVID-19 reported since Sunday morning, bringing the state’s total confirmed cases to more than 35,500 since the outbreak began. The state’s online virus-tracking dashboard showed Monday 754 people have died from the virus.
Of the state’s positive cases, nearly 26,700 have recovered. Nearly 377,900 people have been tested for the virus in Iowa.
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