13th Iowa prison inmate dies of COVID-19

IOWA CITY - Another inmate in Iowa's corrections system has died, likely due to complications related to COVID-19 and other preexisting medical conditions, state Department of Corrections officials said Monday.

Dale Dean Viers, 58, was pronounced dead at 4:40 a.m. Sunday at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Viers, who originally was housed at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, had been taken to the hospital several days earlier for more advanced care as his medical condition began to worsen, corrections officials said.

Viers was the 13th inmate in Iowa's prison system to die from coronavirus-related medical complications.

Corrections officials also report two staff members have died from COVID-19 complications since the virus was first detected in Iowa last March.

Viers had been serving a life sentence for a first-degree kidnapping conviction from Black Hawk County. His sentence began March 30, 1995.