How Warri pastor died of Coronavirus

TRACKING___.Why Okowa did not mention his name

The second case of the COVID-19 in Delta State who was announced to have died on Thursday from the pandemic by the state Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, was a pastor, the Daily Times can authoritatively report.

It was gathered that the deceased was a 57-year-old pastor (name withheld).

He was said to be Warri-based pastor with his church located in popular area in Warri metropolis.

But he reportedly died before the result of his test was released on Thursday evening.

According to informed sources, the deceased died on Wednesday at the isolation centre of the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara.

Our sources, who spoke to journalists in the area on condition of anonymity, not to reveal the name of the church and that of the pastor, said the state COVID-19 Rapid Response Team had already commenced contact tracing of the deceased.

The deceased before being moved to Oghara where he subsequently died was hospitalised at a popular private hospital in Warri where he spent several hours and last preached at his church two weeks before he was struck down by Coronavirus pandemic.

“He died while we were still expecting result of his test from Irrua Specialist Hospital. He’s a popular pastor in Warri. He was a 57-year-old pastor.

“His health had deteriorated before he was brought to the isolation centre because of the symptoms he was exhibiting.

“We were all shocked when the result confirmed he was positive of coronavirus”, one of the sources said.

Recall that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa had confirmed the death of the deceased without revealing details of the patient, adding that medical ethics will not allow the identity of the deceased to be made public.

Okowa had in a post on his verified Twitter handle on Thursday evening said: “I have just been informed of another case of #COVID19 in Delta State.

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“The individual in question, had underlying health issues and had visited Lagos State in the past two weeks.

“The patient presented himself late to one of our hospitals with severe symptoms including difficulty in breathing and was given the necessary attention by healthcare professionals. Shortly after the specimen was taken, he passed away. However, his test results came back positive today.”

Competent sources said that the family members of the late Pastor have gone into hiding as the state government intensified efforts to fish them out for isolation, while fourteen fresh cases that have not been confirmed currently threatens the relatively peaceful co-existence in the state.

But the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, while speaking to journalists however assured that the state government was committed to ensuring safety of Deltans, adding that the sustainability of sit-at-home order would help to reduce the scourge at all costs.

He said: “We are not relenting at all and we as a state is committed to ensuring Deltans are safe and the spread does not affect our people. Everything have been put in place and we are urging Deltans to observe the sit-at-home order to avoid the scourge and others at this critical period, and with trust in God, Delta State will come out good”.

Indications are that it might be difficult for the state government to track down families of those who tested positive, especially the recent patient who died on Wednesday as some who allegedly had contact with him, including church members are currently on the run, giving vent to the fact that the difficult times may outsmart the state government’s efforts with a view to ensuring that the Coronavirus pandemic spread is minimised in Delta State.

With palpable tension and fear of the unknown in the state, prayer warriors in the state have commenced radical prayers in support of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa efforts to prevent further spread of the pandemic in Delta State.