Family shaken by sudden COVID casualty
45-y-o struck with illness same week he planned to get vaccine
Published:Monday | August 23, 2021 | 12:10 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
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The ravages of the coronavirus have taken the ultimate toll on one St Elizabeth family whose members are pondering if their relative would still be alive if he had been vaccinated. Andrew Burton, 45, was not an anti-vaxxer, but had reportedly not...
The ravages of the coronavirus have taken the ultimate toll on one St Elizabeth family whose members are pondering if their relative would still be alive if he had been vaccinated.
Andrew Burton, 45, was not an anti-vaxxer, but had reportedly not found the time from work to get his COVID-19 shot.
A trailer driver, Burton had planned to take the vaccine the very week he fell ill with flu-like symptoms that led to him being hospitalised. He died a week ago.
His extended and immediate family, who all live within proximity in the quiet rural community of Ballards Valley in St Elizabeth, is still trying to cope with his death.
The St Elizabeth native was forced to stay home from work when he first became sick, but there was no improvement in his condition. He visited a doctor who diagnosed the flu and recommended rest along with over-the-counter medication.
Burton’s health eventually deteriorated, to the extent that he had difficulties breathing. He was admitted to the Black River Hospital where it was confirmed that he had contracted COVID-19.
Burton is one of almost 1,400 casualties of the coronavirus, which is raging like a wildfire across the island. Record transmission rates and hospitalisations have seen overall infections soar above 61,800.
The atmosphere was sombre on Friday, as Cameile Burton was a picture of grief as she stood under a breadfruit tree not far from her deceased brother’s house. She was still visibly shaken, unable to come to grips with his demise.
“Him never get to take the vaccine because of the working conditions. I said to him, ‘Brother, you not going to take the vaccine?’ and he laughed,” she told The Gleaner.
Ms Burton said that she had been very close to her elder brother, whom she described as a cheerful person who radiated warmth.
“Him was just humble and caring. As you see Andrew, you see him teeth and him a laugh a come and him love to make jokes,” she disclosed.
Andrew’s widow, Lisa Burton, expressed shock at the sudden death of her long-time partner. Having met in 1996 and tied the knot 15 years ago, she said she couldn’t have asked for a better husband than Mr Burton.
“... I don’t know how him catch it (COVID-19) because he is a person who wear him mask all the time and always washing him hands,” revealed the 46-year-old woman.
“He called me one hour before he passed and assured me that everything was fine. I was hoping to see my husband come home,” Mrs Burton said, adding that her husband had no underlying health issues.
Caroll Burton, the 79-year-old father of the deceased, said that he is still in a state of shock.
He, too, revealed how quickly his son’s health took a turn for the worse.
“I saw him after church the Sunday before he was taken to the hospital and he said to me that he was feeling so good that he felt that he could go back to work, so his passing has shaken us up,” the elder Burton said.