A 30-year-old woman who recently gave birth is reported to be the first female federal inmate to die of the novel coronavirus. According to a news release from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Andrea Circle Bear died Tuesday. Circle Bear’s baby survived after being delivered by Cesarean section while she was on a ventilator. While pregnant, Circle Bear was transferred from South Dakota to Texas amid the pandemic crisis on March 20. She was transferred by the U.S. Marshals Service to the Federal Medical Center Carswell, a facility for female inmates with health needs.
According to the BOP, she was immediately placed in quarantine by prison medical staff. Circle Bear had a preexisting health condition listed as a risk factor for developing COVID-19, the news release said. She is the first female and first one of 30 federal inmates to die from COVID-19, according to a report detailing coronavirus cases in the prison system. As of Tuesday, more than 1,700 inmates have tested positive, The Washington Post reported.
Circle Bear was sentenced in the District of South Dakota to a 26-month sentence on Jan.14, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. She pleaded guilty in October 2019 for maintaining a drug-involved premise that distributed methamphetamine.
After being taken into custody on March 20, Circle Bear was later evaluated by FMC Carswell Health Services staff and sent to the local hospital on March 28 due to rising concerns regarding her pregnancy, the BOP said. There Circle Bear was evaluated and discharged the same day. Upon her return to the prison facility, Circle Bear developed symptoms of coronavirus infection, including dry cough and fever. On March 31, FMC Carswell Health Services transported her to the local hospital for treatment, where she was placed on a ventilator. A day later, Circle Bear’s baby was born via Cesarean section. By April 4 Circle Bear was confirmed positive for COVID-19. A family member told The Post that the baby has been returned to the family in South Dakota.
Due to the nature of prisons and jails and the inability to practice social distancing within facilities, experts have warned against severe outbreaks in American jails and prisons since the novel coronavirus first spread in the U.S. In addition to being unable to practice social distancing, inmates have difficulty obtaining basic sanitary items such as hand sanitizer and soap. The BOP has said it will expand COVID-19 testing within its prisons to prevent further spread. While the bureau did not respond to The Post’s questions about why Circle Bear was transferred across the country amid the pandemic, the agency said it is working to limit inmate movement and suspending travel for officials.
Advocates and officials alike are working to get at-risk inmates out of public confinement. Last month Attorney General William P. Barr instructed the BOP to opt for home confinement for at-risk inmates when possible. “Given the surge in positive cases at select sites and in response to the Attorney General Barr’s directives, the BOP began immediately reviewing all inmates who have COVID-19 risk factors, as described by the CDC, to determine which inmates are suitable for home confinement,” the bureau said in a statement on its website. As the nation practices isolation and quarantine efforts to stop the spread of the virus, many inmates are stuck inside the very prisons considered hot spots in the nation.
The FMC Carswell facility currently houses 1,625 female inmates. Circle Bear was the only inmate reported to have contracted COVID-19 at the facility. With a lack of hygiene supplies and the risk of spread remaining high, jails and prisons remain a major concern amid the crisis.