Heres how Georgias Republican governor is keeping the state in the dark about the coronavirus crisis – Raw Story

Posted: April 11, 2020 at 6:55 pm

As coronavirus continued to spread in America, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a bombshell expose titled, EXCLUSIVE: Public given sparse details on deadly outbreak.

Giant healthcare systems based in Atlanta refuse to say how many coronavirus patients theyre treating at their dozens of Georgia hospitals. They wont reveal how many of their front-line workers have gotten sick or even died from the virus, the newspaper noted. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities arent required to post information about outbreaks, and until Friday the state had not been revealing which homes have the most cases, leaving families and advocates in the dark about the conditions inside homes theyre now barred from visiting.

While the governors of New York and Ohio are giving detailed, daily briefings broadcast live, Georgias governor has only given periodic updates to the public. And while Louisiana details the race and underlying health conditions of victims, Georgia is in the dark about the extent of the coronavirus and who may be most affected, given a massive shortage of tests and limited information it receives on victims, the newspaper noted.

The papers reported that the office of Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) has sometimes provided conflicting messages and his briefings have been less frequent than some other governors.

The paper interviewed Dr. Harry J. Heiman, a clinical associate professor at the Georgia State University School of Public Health.

There seems to be a black box and a lack of transparency about whats going on, Dr. Heiman said.

Melanie McNeil, the states long-term care ombudsman, also offered a sad prognosis.

We absolutely are in the dark, she said.

Read the full report.

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Heres how Georgias Republican governor is keeping the state in the dark about the coronavirus crisis - Raw Story

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