A South Georgia woman whose husband died of COVID-19 said she hopes her husband’s fate is a telltale sign of why the rampant virus should be taken seriously.
Cedrick Crumpton, one of the youngest people to die of the virus in Lowndes County, had no underlying health conditions when he was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Katrina Crumpton told news station WALB the first inkling that something was wrong came July 1, when the family was preparing for the Fourth of July. The Valdosta dad and husband went to work, but that same night he began vomiting. They thought Crumpton had a stomach bug. When he attempted to get tested the next day at South Georgia Medical Center, he got pushback due to his lack of symptoms.
“He never ran a fever, he never coughed, he never did any of that. I got worried because as the days went by, he got sicker, but it was never a cough, it was never anything you hear about on the news."
He was eventually tested, and his results showed he was positive for the virus, which has now claimed the lives of more than 4,500 Georgians and more than 168,000 Americans.
The father of eight had to wait days for his results from the lab due to some technical issue. Katrina said the delay might have contributed to the symptoms escalating for her husband. After waiting two days for results, Cedrick collapsed.
“It bothers me when they don’t understand that, they did or they didn’t have underlying issues because my husband didn’t, either, and he is not here today,” said Katrina.
The 42-year-old stayed in the hospital for treatment for weeks after collapsing.
She said Cedrick was put on oxygen and then showed signs of pneumonia.
On July 17, she said the hospital called and said Cedrick had aspirated and permanent damage was done. He passed away that same day.
“The whole time I kept saying, ‘He is coming home, he is coming home.’ Now we have to figure out life without him,” Katrina, 43, said.
Cedrick was a native of Quitman. Besides his wife and children, Cedrick also leaves behind two grandchildren.
On Thursday, a report from President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force warned that Georgia continues to see “widespread and expanding community viral spread” and that the state’s current policies aren’t enough to curtail COVID-19.
Mandates on masks and closing certain types of indoor businesses were suggested in the committee’s review. Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean at Emory University School of Medicine at Grady Health System, said the assessment was based on sound science.
“We’re not doing anything, and we’re hoping magically numbers are going to go down,” he said of Georgia’s coronavirus response. “Hope is not a strategy.”
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