ELKTON, Ohio - The number of positive coronavirus cases at a federal prison in Columbiana County has risen to eight, with three of those cases fatal, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

As of Sunday morning, the bureau reported that one staff member and seven inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 at Elkton Federal Correctional Institution.

Three of those inmates, 53-year-old Woodrow Taylor, 65-year-old Margarito Garcia-Fragoso, and 76-year-old Frank McCoy, died Thursday after being hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms.

Taylor and Garcia-Fragoso were serving sentences for cocaine possession.  McCoy was sentenced to a ten-year sentence for child pornography.

The Bureau of Prisons has not released further information about the conditions of the staff member or four other inmates who tested positive for coronavirus.

Around the nation, 120 inmates and 54 staff members had tested positive for coronavirus at federal prisons.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr has issued a memorandum instructing the Bureau of Prisons to consider moving inmates from Elkton in high-risk categories for COVID-19 to home confinement.

The memo takes into consideration whether or not those inmates could pose a risk to the community if sent home.

As of Sunday morning, health officials reported that Columbiana County had 40 positive COVID-19 cases, including five total deaths. The numbers reflect current totals, including cases in East Liverpool City, Salem City, and at the federal prison.

County health officials say they have been working with the prison and hope to be able to release additional prison information soon.