Corrections officer has COVID-19

CORALVILLE - A correctional officer at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville has tested positive for COVID-19, the Iowa Department of Corrections announced Friday.

The officer, between the ages of 18 and 40, began experiencing symptoms between Wednesday and Thursday. The last day the officer was at the prison was Wednesday, when symptoms began to present, the department said in a news release.

A test confirmed COVID-19, and the officer is recovering at home.

As of Friday, 844 offenders were housed at the Oakdale prison.

The department said it has identified staff members and offenders who were in contact with the officer 'and quarantining those exposed and ... taking every appropriate measure to ensure that the impact on staff and inmates can be mitigated as much as possible.”

At this point, none of the 8,500 inmates in Iowa prisons has tested positive for COVID-19, the department said.