Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton has identified the death of 23-year-old Jodian Fearon in April 2020 as one of the lowest points for him during the past two years as Jamaica faced the novel coronavirus monster.

“There were many low points, people lost family members and friends, which was very regrettable, and I share their pain in that regard,” Tufton told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday, the eve of the second anniversary of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the island.

With the pain evident is his face, Tufton pointed to the death of Fearon as particularly hurtful.

“This is a case of someone who was suspected of having COVID. Young, happy about her first child, went to a private hospital and because of a suspicion of COVID was not treated and had to be transferred to another [hospital] and then to another. Unfortunately, she had underlying conditions and ultimately passed away,” said Tufton.

“It brought a lot of personal grief to me because, in the first instance she never had to die. Secondly, she was being handled as a COVID potential and she never had it. If it was confirmed that she never had it, they would have just dealt with her at the first hospital,” added Tufton.

Fearon died at University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in St Andrew on Saturday, April 25, 2020 hours after she had delivered her baby at Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine.

She was initially scheduled to deliver her baby at the private Andrews Memorial Hospital in St Andrew but was allegedly refused care after fears were expressed that she could have contracted the novel coronavirus. Fearon had tested negative for COVID-19.

Efforts to move her to UHWI and Victoria Jubilee Hospital were unsuccessful before she was transferred, by ambulance, to Spanish Town Hospital where she developed complications after giving birth. Fearon was then transferred to UHWI were she died. A post-mortem revealed that Fearon died from heart failure.

The case was the subject of an internal investigation by the health ministry, while a police probe was conducted with more than 20 statements taken by investigators and submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for a ruling.

In October 2020, DPP Paula Llewellyn ruled that no one should face criminal charges for the death.

According to the DPP, a detailed examination of the case file showed that as a matter of law there was no evidentiary material to establish disregard for the life and safety of others to amount to a crime against the State.

“In other words, there was no material to establish the negligence or incompetence of any doctor or any other person,” Llewellyn said in a statement on the death that had captured the attention of the nation.