Coronavirus: Couple married for 51 years die minutes apart

Just a few weeks ago, Stuart Baker (74) and Adrian Baker (72) from Florida in the US were perfectly healthy, CNN reports.

They had been married for more than 51 years and were enjoying their retirement. The two were known to be inseparable and both of them showed no signs of serious health conditions.

It was only sometime in March when they started feeling ill.

On Sunday, 5 April, the couple died six minutes apart due to complications from Covid-19, their son Buddy Baker told local media.

“My parents were married, as I tweeted, 51 years and [were] virtually inseparable. They were never in different places and they were rarely in different rooms,” Stuart said.

“So we were really worried about my mom being by herself . . . we’d go see her and she was very weak and really wasn’t walking great.”

Three weeks prior, Stuart and Adrian went to the doctor because they were feeling slightly ill according to Buddy. But the doctor eventually sent the two home after saying they have a slight case of pneumonia but should recover quite fast.

After a few days their symptoms still hadn't improved so their doctor recommended that they visit the hospital. They were again sent home but this time told to self-quarantine, Good Morning America reports.

But on 19 March, they were told to return to the hospital. Stuart had a fever and asthma and was admitted.

Adrian, however, didn’t have a fever and was therefore not admitted.

Five days later, the hospital called their son to confirm that Stuart had tested positive for Covid-19 and the doctor said it didn't look like he’d make it.

Buddy and his sister decided to take their mother to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Within 45 minutes of their mother being checked in, the doctor called to report that her oxygen levels were very low.

The devastated son said he and his sister decided to move their parents to hospice care on the counsel of medical professionals.

His mother and father were moved to the same room and taken off ventilators to be comfortable.

“In the timeframe of about five to six hours I was informed on the phone, by two separate doctors, that each one of [my] parents was [most likely] not going to make it,” Stuart said.

Within minutes of each other, they had passed.

“Our request was that when they [took them off the ventilators], that they’d allow them to be in the same room.

“The hospital put them in the same room and they actually sent a picture of them holding hands [while sedated],” he said.

Baker said he hopes his family's story can be a catalyst for change. He's calling on people to listen to what health officials have been saying: practice social distancing, wash your hands regularly and, most importantly, stay at home.