德克萨斯州塔兰特县卫生官员周日宣布了485例新的冠状病毒病例，这个数字的近90%来自一个联邦监狱的大爆发。
县官员称，在485例确诊病例中，423例与联邦医疗中心沃思堡监狱有关。在大约1463名囚犯中，该监狱目前共有627例确诊病例，是美国联邦监狱中感染人数第三高的监狱。目前，该地区至少有五人死于这种新型病毒。
瓜达卢佩·拉莫斯，该监狱的一名56岁囚犯，在4月23日检测呈阳性后，于周日死于COVID-19。在接受测试的第二天，拉莫斯在4月28日接受呼吸机治疗之前，“因腹痛和呼吸急促被福沃斯健康服务中心的工作人员发现”。
联邦官员称，死者的身体状况使他容易感染这种新型病毒。在他死亡的时候，拉莫斯正在服17.5年的徒刑，罪名是阴谋分发大量海洛因。自2017年9月以来，他一直被关押在沃思堡监狱。
2020年4月9日，伊利诺伊州芝加哥，戴着防护面具的人离开库克郡监狱。
囚犯詹姆斯·霍利也是被关押在沃思堡联邦医疗中心的数百名被检测呈阳性的囚犯之一。他的女儿梅洛迪·梅萨上周告诉WFAA，她“最大的恐惧是失去我的父亲，仅仅因为他没有被判死刑。”
“它们已经被打包，像沙丁鱼一样被塞进他比较过的单元里，”梅萨补充道。“可能有一天，今天，他没事，第二天他就走了。”
约万尼·格雷罗说，他的父亲是一名因感染病毒而住院的囚犯，在家人得知他的病情之前，他被放置在呼吸机上四天。格雷罗告诉WFAA:“如果是其他地方，人们会非常担心。”。“这非常令人困惑，而且非常令人失望的是，他们不能给我们任何更新。”
随着监狱中的案件不断增加，格雷罗和其他囚犯家庭成员抱怨缺乏透明度和沟通。他们还呼吁对所有警卫和监狱工作人员进行冠状病毒检测，以控制疫情。联邦官员表示，他们不会密切监控员工测试，但会强制使用口罩和定期检查体温。
新闻周刊联系联邦医疗中心沃斯堡进行评论。这个故事会随着任何回应而更新。
TEXAS COUNTY REPORTS NEARLY 90 PERCENT OF NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES FROM OUTBREAK AT FEDERAL PRISON
Health officials in Tarrant County, Texas on Sunday announced 485 new coronavirus cases, with nearly 90 percent of that figure coming from a large outbreak at a federal prison.
Of the 485 confirmed cases, 423 were associated with the Federal Medical Center Fort Worth prison, county officials said. The facility now has a total of 627 confirmed cases out of roughly 1,463 inmates, making it the prison with the third-highest number of infections at a U.S. federal facility. There are now at least five deaths caused by the novel virus at the location.
Guadalupe Ramos, a 56-year-old inmate at the facility, died from COVID-19 Sunday after testing positive on April 23. One day after he had been tested, Ramos "was seen by FMC Fort Worth Health Services staff for abdominal pain and shortness of breath," before he was placed on a ventilator on April 28.
Federal officials said the deceased inmate had pre-existing conditions that rendered him vulnerable to the novel virus. At the time of his death, Ramos was serving a 17.5-year sentence for conspiracy to distribute a large quantity of heroin. He had been placed in custody at the Fort Worth location since September 2017.
People wearing protective masks leave the Cook County jail complex on April 09, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois.
Inmate James Holley is also among the hundreds held inside Fort Worth Federal Medical Center that have been tested positive. His daughter Melody Meza told WFAA last week that her "biggest fear is losing my father just due to the fact that he's not sentenced there to die."
"They've been packed in, crammed into units like sardines he compared it to," Meza added. "It could be one day, today, he's ok and the next day he's gone."
Jovanni Guerrero said his father, an inmate who has been hospitalized after contracting the virus, was placed on a ventilator for four days before the family were made aware of his condition. "If it was any other place, people would be worrying about it so much," Guerrero told WFAA. "It's very confusing and it's very disappointing that they're not able to give us any updates on this."
As cases in the facility continue to rise, Guerrero and other family members of inmates have complained about the lack of transparency and communication. They have also called for all guards and prison staffers to be tested for coronavirus to limit the outbreak. Federal officials say they do not closely monitor employee testing but do enforce mask use and regular temperature checks.
Newsweek reached out to the Federal Medical Center Fort Worth for comment. This story will be updated with any response.
