Fourth man dies from coronavirus at Fort Worth prison as cases continue to rise
A fourth man died at Fort Worth’s male federal medical prison on Saturday of coronavirus, the Bureau of Prisons said in a press release.
Kevin Ivy, 59, died within six days of being diagnosed with COVID-19.
On April 26, Ivy was taken to the hospital with cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches and other symptoms. He tested positive for COVID-19 at the hospital.
Three days later, his condition declined and he was placed on a ventilator, the BOP said. On Saturday, Ivy died at the Federal Medical Center Fort Worth.
Ivy had long-term, pre-existing health conditions that the CDC lists as risk factors for developing serious COVID-19 symptoms, according to the BOP.
Ivy had been at FMC Fort Worth since December. He was sentenced in the Eastern District of Texas to 49 months in prison for possession and intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
As of Wednesday, 467 men at the prison had tested positive for the virus. Four of those inmates were on ventilators, Gregory Watts, a correctional officer and union president at the prison, said. Three staff members had tested positive, one of whom was back at work.
The prison was given a Rapid RNA testing kit, which allows staff to test inmates quickly. About half of those at the prison had been tested for the virus as of Monday, Watts said.
Three other inmates have died at the Fort Worth prison, where the second highest number of inmates have tested positive for coronavirus in the country.
On April 22, Arnoldo Almeida was the first inmate at the prison to die from coronavirus. Donnie Grabener, 65, died on April 25, and Oscar Ortiz, 78, died April 24.
This is the same federal prison holding Joe Maldonado-Passage, a former zoo owner more commonly known as Joe Exotic.
Maldonado-Passage, 57, is the focus of the Netflix documentary series “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” which has exploded in popularity since its March 20 release.
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 9:24 PM.
