(Trinidad Express) As the family of popular pandit Mohindra Persad makes funeral arrangements after his sudden passing, the family says they are being caused further pain by being bombarded by comments from strangers attributing Persad’s death to Covid-19.
The family has been devastated by the news, and while they would prefer to grieve privately, Persad’s wife, Anita, agreed to do a telephone interview with the Express. She told the Express yesterday she wanted to squash the rumours around her husband’s death and celebrate the remarkable legacy he left on this earth.
Persad said the rumours have become so outrageous people are now saying she is currently at the Intensive Care Unit battling for her life.
She said while Covid-19 is a serious thing it is nothing to be ashamed of, but her husband did not die from Covid-19.
She said, “I was Covid-positive. I started experiencing flu-like symptoms. I went and got tested, and it was confirmed. I followed all the Covid guidelines as well as advice from our doctor. I quarantined at home. There is a guest bedroom, so I wasn’t around anybody. We have separate washroom facilities. We stayed apart. My husband wasn’t sick, but he was also tested, and it came back negative. He did have underlying health conditions, uncontrollable diabetes. He also had pneumonia when he was a child. Worried about my health and not getting sufficient rest, his resistance went low. He got the regular flu and then got back another attack of pneumonia,” she said.
Sudden death
While quarantined at home, Persad said her husband’s aunt, who lives at their home, took care of her.
She said, “We followed all the health guidelines regarding minimum contact, where meals could be placed at the door, etc. She was also tested and was negative for Covid.”
Persad said while she recovered from the virus, her husband fell ill.
She said they both weren’t too keen to go to the hospital, although they thought of doing so. Given the state of the public healthcare system due to the pandemic, she felt they could get better care at home.
She admitted her husband’s condition did not appear serious at first and felt confident that he, too, would have a complete recovery.
Persad says apart from home quarantine she followed the advice from her private doctor, who assisted her in her Covid-19 recovery.
“My doctor treated my husband for pneumonia, not Covid. I am upset. I have never experienced something so hurtful. I am grieving for the loss of my husband, and people are spreading false information, and this needs to be cleared up,” she said.
Persad says her husband’s condition did not worsen over a length of time. One minute he was fine, and the next minute he wasn’t.
“He died at 2.30 a.m. on Saturday. He was 38 years old. My husband did not have Covid. He tested three times, and all tests came back negative. His aunt tested, and she is Covid-negative too,” she said.
The funeral for Pandit Mohindra Persad will take place tomorrow at Gopie Trace, Penal, at the mandir founded by Persad.
