Ohio prison becomes America's largest COVID-19 source as nearly 3 in 4 inmates test positive

On Monday, Axios reported that a prison in Ohio has become the nation's largest known source of new coronavirus infections, per a New York Times database — and that nearly three-quarters of the inmates have tested positive.

"1,937 people, or nearly three-quarters of the prison's population, have been infected at the Marion Correctional Institute," reported Fadel Allassan. "One in five confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ohio can now be traced back to the state's prison system, according to the Times."

The previous recordholder had been also been a correctional facility: the Cook County Jail in Illinois, which serves the Chicago area.

"With poor sanitary conditions and close quarters for inmates, U.S. prison and detention systems are dangerously susceptible to the coronavirus," wrote Allassan. "Prisons around the country have become vectors for infection, prompting authorities to either release inmates or take other steps to mitigate the spread of the virus."