Guadalupe Ramos, a 56-year-old inmate at the Federal Medical Center prison in Fort Worth, died on Sunday from COVID-19. Federal officials with the Bureau of Prisons said he had previously had long-term, pre-existing underlying conditions that made him more vulnerable to the disease.
Ramos had tested positive for the disease on April 23 and "was seen by FMC Fort Worth Health Services staff for abdominal pain and shortness of breath" on April 24, according to a news release. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and had been on a ventilator since April 28.
He was serving a sentence of 17.5 years for conspiracy to distribute 1 kilogram or more of heroin, officials said. He had been in custody at FMC Fort Worth since September 2017.
At least four other people have died while in custody at that prison, according to federal officials. The facility has the third-highest number of cases reported at a federal prison in the U.S. at 618 active cases among its 1,463 inmates. Four inmates have recovered so far.
One staff member has also tested positive, officials said.
Forty-six federal inmates across the country have died from the disease so far of the 3330 who have tested positive, federal officials report.
No staff members have died, though 250 have tested positive. More than 620 inmates and 275 staff members have recovered from the disease so far.