Bridgeport Correctional Center inmate dies of COVID

BRIDGEPORT — A man held at Bridgeport Correctional Center died Sunday from complications from COVID-19, state officials said.

The individual was identified only as a 53-year-old man, the Department of Correction said in a press release Monday evening. As in previous statements confirming the deaths of the incarcerated from the virus, the release said the person’s identity is being withheld due to medical privacy laws.

The Department of Correction said the man was awaiting trial on multiple charges of possessing child pornography, and had a bond set at $155,000. He had last entered the state correctional system in March 2019.

The man was transferred from the Bridgeport Correctional Center to a hospital for treatment on Dec. 30, “where he succumbed to his illnesses late Sunday evening,” the press release said.

Officials said the man “suffered from underlying health issues which made him more susceptible to contracting the novel coronavirus.”

Inmates and DOC staff are due to be vaccinated as part of Phase 1b of the state’s vaccine rollout. During Monday’s press conference, Gov. Ned Lamont said vaccinations of congregate settings are underway, but it’s unclear if vaccinations have also started at prisons and jails.

Josh Geballe, Lamont’s chief operating officer, said last week that the department would try to vaccinate older inmates first as the state also works to open the vaccine up to seniors 75 and older in the general population.

“His death comes as the Department of Correction prepares to vaccinate its staff and inmate population as part of the State’s phase 1B vaccination rollout, and underscores the importance of getting vaccinated,” the release said.

Bridgeport Correctional Center is a high-security facility that contains both offenders who have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment and those awaiting trial. The facility draws from courts in Ansonia, Derby, Milford, Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk and Stamford, according to the DOC. It also includes a minimum-security unit for inmates who qualify for outside work and community support programs.

Opened in 1958, the North Avenue facility currently houses 647 incarcerated people, according to the DOC’s data.