A mammogram technician at Piedmont Newnan (Ga.) Hospital was found dead in her home March 19 and posthumously tested positive for COVID-19, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Police discovered 42-year-old Diedre Wilkes' body and her unattended 4-year-old child at the house after a friend requested a welfare check. Ms. Wilkes had exhibited flu-like symptoms for about a week before her death and did not have any underlying health conditions, Coweta County (Ga.) Coroner Richard Hawk told AJC. An autopsy is being conducted to determine her exact cause of death.
Piedmont Newnan Hospital is contacting employees who may have had close contact with her out of an abundance of caution, John Manasso, a spokesperson for Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare, told The Newnan Times-Herald.
"Piedmont is providing these individuals with detailed information for self-monitoring and will offer COVID-19 testing to those who request it," he said. "This employee did not work in an area treating known or suspected COVID-19 patients. Our thoughts and prayers are with the employee's family during this difficult time."
Ms. Wilkes' death is among the first two COVID-19-related deaths confirmed among healthcare workers in Georgia. A 48-year-old employee at Donalsonville (Ga.) Hospital also died March 19 after contracting COVID-19.
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