37-Year-Old Man Dies Of COVID While Incarcerated In Suffield

SUFFIELD, CT — A 37-year-old man has died of COVID-19 while incarcerated at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, making him the fourth Suffield inmate to die from the virus in January.

Connecticut Department of Correction officials aren't releasing the man's name because of medical privacy laws, but they said he was transferred from the MacDougall-Walker Medical Isolation Unit to an outside hospital for treatment on Jan. 4.

He died the evening of Jan. 30, officials said in a news release.

The man last entered the Connecticut correctional system on a murder charge on Sept. 17, 2019. He was awaiting trial and had a bond of $1,501,000, officials said.

Earlier this month, the Department of Correction announced the deaths of two other MacDougall-Walker inmates from COVID-19, and a third died on Jan. 15.

Read more: 2 Men Die Of COVID-19 While Incarcerated In Suffield

A 52-year-old man who was incarcerated at the Hartford Correctional Center died of coronavirus complications in January as well.

The Department of Correction said its efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 include separating new inmates from others to prevent new inmates from spreading the virus, isolating inmates who test positive, attempting to reduce vaccine hesitancy through educational efforts and regularly testing inmates and staff.