BREAKING: 48 Hrs After, Delta Govt Unconfirms Death Of American Woman For COVID-19

Barely 48 hours after the police command in Delta confirmed the death of a U.S. citizen in the state, due to suspected complications arising from COVID-19, the Delta State Government, late Tuesday, says the late 67 years old Caucasian American woman that slumped and died in a hotel room in Osubi, Okpe Local Government Area on Sunday did not die from COVID-19. 

The state Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Inuwa, who earlier confirmed the incident to newsmen in Warri on Sunday had said that he had drawn the attention of the Commissioner for Health in Delta to the development, in order to contact the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), in view of the symptoms developed by the deceased.

BIGPEN had reported based on NAN report credited to the State Police Commissioner that the American woman was in Nigeria to visit her male friend and was kept in a hotel in Warri for sometime before relocating to another hotel around Orerokpe.

“While they were together for about a week, the woman was coughing and having difficulty in breathing and stooling.

“So, she was taken to a hospital on Saturday when her condition became worse and eventually died,” Mr Inuwa said.

He said the male friend is with the police in Orerokpe, however, warned policemen to be very careful with the manner they deal with the said male friend, so as not to get infected with the dreaded COVID-19.

On Tuesday, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mordi Ononye in a terse message to newsmen in Asaba, unconfirmed the death of the woman for COVID-19.

According to him, the late American and her suspected boyfriend tested negative to the dreaded virus after samples of him and the deceased woman were taken for tests. 

The Health Commissioner in the statement, advised residents to comply with government’s directives on precautionary measures to protect self from the disease stressing that this is the only way to contain the scourge.

BIGPEN recalls the lady’s boyfriend who took her corpse to the Orerokpe Police Station according to reports was taken to the Isolation Unit, Central Hospital Warri for fear that he could be carrying the virus.

The Delta State Government which usually send out an infographic indicating the number of cases, active one, discharged and death per local government councils in the state, neither confirmed the case physically through an official nor send the usual infographic when the news of the death of the said American from suspected coronavirus broke through the police confirmation.

There have been fears in the state that the reported incident may be a ‘ritual killing’ following the status of the said lady’s boyfriend believed to be a yahoo boy (internet fraudster).