A report released on Friday is claiming that the state of Georgia is undercounting the number of healthcare worker deaths due to COVID-19.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution noted that official totals pinpoint the toll at about 75 in the state, including the passing of two radiologic technologists. However, an investigation by the newspaper found the tally may be upward of 30% higher.
That’s because of inconsistent reporting by physicians and coroners, along with the exclusion of nonmedical pros such as shuttle drivers, meal delivery or custodial workers.
AJC highlighted two particular deaths in the radiology community in recent months. Back in March, 42-year-old mammography tech Diedre Wilkes was found dead in her apartment with her young child left attended for more than a dozen hours. An autopsy determined the Piedmont Newman Hospital provider died of COVID-19.
In another instance, 45-year-old technologist David Plater, with Emory Hillandale Hospital, died from the virus on June 9. Hospitals have suggested that workers may have contracted the disease in the community, while unions and advocates worry it occurred on the job, citing inadequate PPE supplies, among other concerns.
Plater’s wife, Kim, insisted that her husband was extremely cautious and believes he caught the virus on duty. “It makes it more real,” she told the AJC. “It could very well be us at any time. We’re terrified.”
Read more about the investigation below.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.