Skatta beats COVID without Praying - Recorded producer felt he was at death’s door

When faced with their mortality, man human beings usually turn to God in prayer, asking for His healing and delivering hands. However, this was not the case for record producer Cordel 'Skatta' Burrell, an unapologetic atheist who recently recovered from COVID-19.

Skatta contracted COVID-19 last month, and said that there were times that he felt he was at death's door. Still, he would not send up a word of prayer. For him, his healing was in his hands and not in the palms of some higher power.

"Everybody know say mi nuh religious, so if I come out and say mi nuh pray, it's because I know within myself I could beat this by myself. When I say I didn't pray, I had my God right there taking care of me," he said revealing that his significant other was by his side throughout the frightening ordeal.

"She was my God and my angel taking care of me, so I didn't need to pray not once."

COVID-19 has claimed 1,320 lives in Jamaica since March 2020, with 120 of those deaths confirmed since the start of the month. Nine persons died on Monday from the virus and another 630 new cases were detected as the country battles a third wave of coronavirus infection.

Skatta said that many of the persons who have died from COVID may have prayed for healing. He has, therefore, come to the conclusion that prayer and surviving COVID are not linked.

"When the shortness of breath came, I had numerous episodes when I was unable to breathe. I was coughing a lot and when yuh cough, it gets worst. I did think I was facing death. I have never in my life pulled in for oxygen and it is never available. The first couple times it happened to me, I got small panic attacks," said Skatta who did not require hospitalisation.

I WILL SURVIVE

"But the reason why I would never call on Jesus is because I have enough evidence of people calling on Jesus and still die. I have enough evidence of kids -- innocent children -- who were told to call upon Jesus, and they died. Now me, who get up and curse Jesus every day, yuh think me a guh get up and call upon Him and Him a guh answer me? I just preferred to know that me and Jesus nuh inna da supmn here together. It's me alone and if mi fi survive it, I will survive."

In the meantime, the entertainer is urging Jamaicans to take COVID-19 seriously. Admitting that he once believed the virus was just a 'common cold', the producer said that having experienced the dreaded illness, his position has been completely changed.

"I wasn't thinking I could really catch this thing. I thought this thing was just like a common cold weh anybody could catch. I thought my immune system was so strong that it woulda overlook me or even if I did catch it, I wouldn't show any signs," he said.

"But COVID is not just a simple disease. When it does leave your body or yuh go get back a negative result, it takes something away from you. You don't feel like your normal self. Your mind at times feel like it wah play tricks on yuh, like an alien invading your body. We have to take it serious it's not just a normal illness."

The producer is urging persons to pay attention to infection control measures that have been outlined by the Ministry of Health and Wellness in order to stay far from COVID-19.

"Up to the biggest advocate against COVID, it can and will affect you. If you are going to be that way and spread that kind of message, you guys need to put together a fund for these people that you're going to encourage to do the opposite of what is correct, so that when they fall prey to the disease or get locked up for not wearing a mask, they have some kind of trust fund to help dem out," SKatta said.