By Sarah Calams
COOK COUNTY, Ill. — A third Cook County Jail corrections officer has died from COVID-19.
FOX32Chicago.com reported that Antoine Jones, 51, who worked for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office since 2002, died Sunday. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 in late March.
“We mourn the loss of Officer Jones and send our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones for the irreplaceable loss of this husband, father and friend,” the sheriff’s office said.
A total of 89 corrections officers and 236 detainees at the jail are positive for the novel coronavirus. Seven detainees have died after testing positive for COVID-19, according to the report.
“Correctional staff like Officer Jones are the unseen heroes in the fight against this global pandemic, bravely working to keep their fellow colleagues, detainees and the public safe from COVID-19,” the sheriff’s office continued. “We will honor his memory with our continued fight to confront this insidious and unrelenting disease.”
Jones leaves behind his wife and five adult children.