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Illinois inmate dies from COVID-19; dozens more sickened

Officials acknowledged the difficulty they face in stopping the spread of the virus in a crowded correctional system.

JOLIET, Ill. — Illinois officials have reported the death of a state prison inmate from COVID-19 and acknowledged the difficulty they face in stopping the spread of the virus in a crowded correctional system. 

Dr. Ngoze Ezike, the state's public health director, said a man at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet had died from the respiratory illness. 

Twelve more inmates with COVID-19 have been hospitalized, several requiring ventilators, and 77 others showing symptoms have been isolated, as have 11 staff members.

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