PENDLETON — An inmate who tested positive for COVID-19 at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton died Thursday, Aug. 20, according to a press release from the prison. 

The man was between 60 and 70 years old and died while at an unidentified local hospital, according to the release. He’s the third person incarcerated by the Oregon Department of Corrections to die after testing positive for the virus. 

Because the inmate was positive for COVID-19, the department is withholding usually reported information following the death of an inmate, such as the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death.

“In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19.,” the release stated. “DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19 related data and information on the OHA website.”

According to Ron Miles, spokesman and executive supervising assistant at EOCI, the prison has 197 confirmed cases of the virus among its roughly 1,700 inmates. Another 18 staff members have tested positive, 14 of which have already returned to work. 

As of Friday, Aug. 21, approximately 49.5% of the 398 inmates tested for the virus have been confirmed as positive. 

Two Rivers Correctional Institute in Umatilla also reported an inmate died at a local medical facility, the Oregon Department of Corrections announced in a press release.

Richard Rose, 24, died Friday, Aug. 21, after first entering DOC custody on May 24, 2018, from Deschutes County. His earliest release date was April 22, 2022.

As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, according to the release.

TRCI is a multi-custody prison in Umatilla that houses approximately 1,800 adults in custody.