Husband and wife — both teachers — had COVID. One died on Christmas, GA officials say
A beloved Georgia teacher died on Christmas Day after a weekslong battle with COVID-19, relatives and multiple news outlets have reported.
Patrick Key, who taught art at Hendricks Elementary School in Powder Springs, had been on a ventilator and on life support after falling ill in early November, McClatchy News previously reported.
“We are heartbroken for the loss experienced by the Key family and Hendricks Elementary,” a district spokesperson for Cobb County Schools told McClatchy News in a statement. “As students and staff share stories about Patrick’s impact, we ask every student, parent, and staff member to stay as safe and healthy as possible while we beat COVID-19 as a community.”
Key fought the virus along with his wife, Priscella Key, a fellow Cobb teacher who also became sick. Her symptoms were less severe, however, so she was allowed to recuperate at home, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Patrick Key was admitted to WellStar Kennestone Hospital and moved to the intensive care unit Nov. 15 when his condition worsened just days after he and his wife tested positive for COVID-19, according to the newspaper. He was one of three Cobb County teachers to be hospitalized with the virus.
At the time, Cobb schools officials said it was possible Key had been exposed to the virus while at school, WSB-TV reported. His niece Heather Welch said her uncle took COVID-19 “so seriously” and still got sick.
“What makes this so hard I think in general is he did everything possible,” Welch said, according to the news station. “He did everything possible to prevent this exact outcome.”
Priscella Key grieved her husband, saying his “body was too tired to go on,” WXIA reported. The fellow educator said she hoped to remind others that reported coronavirus deaths are more than just numbers.
“They are real people with heartbroken families,” she said, according to the station.
As of Monday, Cobb County had over 35,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and at least 545 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to Georgia Department of Public Health data. Georgia has more than 543,000 cases and over 9,700 deaths statewide.
This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Husband and wife — both teachers — had COVID. One died on Christmas, GA officials say."