Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The number of personnel at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 in Delta State has depleted following the unexplained deaths of some task force members in the past few weeks.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that no fewer than 20 persons, mostly ad hoc personnel in the fight against COVID-19, died after brief illnesses.
An inside source said the deceased persons may have died as a result of the ravaging global disease, adding that reports of the deaths were being kept under wraps to avoid tension.
The source added that the list of deaths does not include high profile government officials in the state.
Related: No state in Nigeria is COVID-19 free – NCDC DG
Last Sunday, two top appointees of the state government, including the Secretary to State Government, Chiedu Ebie, and Commissioner for Information Charles Aniagwu, tested positive for COVID-19.
The two top officials who hail from Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s Ika constituency are now in an isolation centre for treatment.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okowa, Olisa Ifeajika, who confirmed the COVID-19 positive status of his fellow appointees, said the officials were responding positively to treatment.
Meanwhile, the state government has taken steps to curtail further spread of the disease among top officials by shutting down some office complexes.
The affected offices include that of the SSG, off Cabinet Road; the Ministry of Information complex along Summit Road; and the Permanent Secretary (Government House) complex with the Government House, Asaba.
The development, Daily Sun further learnt, was to enable officials to fumigate the offices.
