Married couple, both teachers, battle COVID-19 in Georgia. Husband is on life support
A husband and wife who both work as elementary school teachers in Georgia are batting the coronavirus, with one of them hospitalized in intensive care.
Patrick Key, an art teacher at Hendricks Elementary School in Cobb County, began feeling sick Nov. 6, according to WSB-TV. His wife, Priscella Key, a first-grade teacher in the school district, began showing symptoms two days later.
Both were tested the following day, and the results came back positive for COVID-19, said Priscella Key, the station reported.
Priscella Key has been recovering at home, but her husband’s condition worsened and he was rushed to the hospital when his blood oxygen levels fell to 76%, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She said their doctor advised them to seek immediate care if their oxygen levels fell below 85%.
Doctors at WellStar Kennestone Hospital are scheduled to perform a tracheotomy Tuesday with hopes of removing Patrick Key from the ventilator, according to the newspaper.
He’s “stable and (doctors) report he is far from out of the woods but is slowly making progress forward,” said Priscella Key, WXIA reported.
Officials with Cobb County Schools say it’s possible Patrick Key was exposed to the virus at school, according to WSB-TV. McClatchy News reached out to the district, which declined to offer further details on the teacher’s condition.
“Our thoughts are with all those in our school community who have been impacted by the pandemic,” a spokesperson for the Cobb school district said. “We are thankful for the way the Cobb community comes together to help one another. Due to privacy laws including HIPPA, we cannot comment on the health of specific employees.”
In a statement, Priscella Key thanked the community for their outpouring of love and support.
“Yesterday, a large group of teachers and their families came to our house to help take care of yard work that needed to be done,” she said in the statement, according to WXIA. “It took one more worry off of our plate. Patrick is a person that will do anything to help someone without ever asking for something in return. He truly cares about people and it is so very heartwarming to see that people truly care about him.”
A friend also started GoFundMe page to help the couple with Patrick’s medical bills.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Married couple, both teachers, battle COVID-19 in Georgia. Husband is on life support."