Following a protracted battle with the virus, a mom of seven died from COVID-19 earlier this month in Georgia. Her dying is likely one of the most up-to-date reported COVID deaths amongst college staff within the state.

Wonikalae "Niki" Copeland, 47, died after a 48-day battle with COVID-19 on January 7, together with her dying being reported by station WSB-TV in Georgia on Sunday. She died from the virus on the identical day as Connie Reynolds, a cafeteria supervisor at Malcolm Bridge Elementary Faculty in Oconee County, bringing the entire variety of college employee deaths to 61 for the reason that begin of Georgia's 2021–2022 college 12 months.

Born in Pensacola, Florida, on August 26, 1974, Copeland lived in Griffin, Georgia, together with her husband, Tim Copeland. She labored as an IT Helpdesk coordinator for Southern Crescent Technical Faculty for 17 years, the identical school that her husband is listed as having attended within the early 2010s on LinkedIn.

"She will probably be missed tremendously, each by the school and by her household," Tim Copeland mentioned about his spouse in a press release to Channel 2 Motion Information.

georgia school worker covid
A Georgia college employee and mom of seven youngsters died earlier this month after a protracted battle with COVID-19. Above, a representational picture of a college impacted by the COVID pandemic.George Frey/Getty Photographs

In accordance with her official obituary, she is survived by her husband, her father, Joel Brooks, her brothers, Joe and Ben Bonds, and her seven youngsters: Daniel, 29, Miranda, 27, Brandon, 27, Jillian, 20, Dana, 17, Rebekah, 15, and Kylie, 14. She was preceded in dying by her mom, Rhonda Lou Doxtator Brooks.

Visitations had been held for Copeland on January 13 at Conner-Westbury Funeral Dwelling.

Newsweek reached out to Southern Crescent Technical Faculty for a touch upon this story however didn't hear again earlier than publishing.

WSB-TV famous that the spike in deaths amongst Georgia lecturers and different college employees members corresponded with the rise of the Delta variant of COVID-19 over the summer season. Among the many 61 staff killed by the virus had been coaches, bus drivers, assistants, useful resource officers, day care lecturers, cafeteria staff, and extra. The youngest of those victims, up to now, was 24.

On New Yr's Eve, the Related Press reported that a number of massive college districts in Georgia transferring to digital lessons as soon as once more. This information got here amidst the rise of the extra infectious Omicron variant, which was credited with a surge in COVID instances throughout the state.

Fulton County and Dekalb County college districts introduced that the change would go into impact as soon as college students returned from winter break. These districts joined Clayton County and Rockdale County, which had already introduced a transfer to digital studying earlier. All 4 of the districts had been positioned within the Atlanta metropolitan space, the most important inhabitants middle in Georgia and one of many largest within the U.S.