Meteorologist Jeanetta Jones who rose to popularity on The Weather Channel in the 1980’s has become another victim of the ongoing global pandemic; COVID-19 has claimed her life.
Born in Macon, Georgia, Jones graduated from Stratford Academy in 1978 and received her journalism degree from the University of Georgia. She worked started her broadcast career at 13 WMAZ-TV in Macon, ultimately getting a job as on-camera meteorologist for Atlanta-based Weather Channel in 1986 until 2006.
On Thanksgiving Day in 2006, Jones was involved in a violent car accident on her way to work at the Weather Channel. A car had run a red light and hit the passenger side of her SUV, forcing it to flip over several times. Media reports say that even though Jones was wearing her seat belt, her head went through the windshield, impacting thousands of slivers of glass into her face and her head. She suffered a significant brain injury from that accident, leaving her permanently disabled.
The Weather Channel made a brief statement today about her death: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jeanetta “JJ” Jones. She was a valued member of The Weather Channel family for 20 years, serving as an on-camera meteorologist from 1986 to 2006.”
The United States is dealing with a rising COVID-19 outbreak, with new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks. According to Johns Hopkins University data, confirmed infections climbed from 11,300 cases / day on June 23 to 23,600 cases / day on Monday. Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that can trigger what doctors call a respiratory tract infection. It can affect your upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, and throat) or lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs). It spreads the same way other coronaviruses do, mainly through person-to-person contact.
