No fewer than eleven persons are said to have died in the last few days after contracting the coronavirus in Bonny Local Government Area, Rivers state.
Also a top medical facility has come under scrutiny for alleged poor handling of a confirmed case of coronavirus in the state.
Correspondent Uche Okoro reports that the reported number of deaths has been labelled mysterious having
occurred within a short period of time.
All patients are said to have experienced similar symptoms such as loss in their sense of smell and taste, malaria and typhoid fever.
The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and the Rivers State Government are yet to react to this development, but officials of Bonny Local Government confirmed that medical facilities in the area treated an undisclosed number of persons with symptoms relating to the virus.
Local authorities however, differ in opinion about circumstances surrounding the casualty figure and the cause of death.
At the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital in Port Harcourt concerned citizens are seeking explanations into allegations of poor handling of a case of coronavirus.
A whistleblower had accused the Management of the hospital of breaching safety protocol in the treatment of a confirmed case, in the process, placing at risk the lives of staff, patients and the entire state.
He identified the patient as a senior official of government who was admitted at a private ward rather than a designated isolation centre.
Meanwhile, Rivers state government said it is investigating the rumored or suspected outbreak of the coronavirus at Bonny Island.
Speaking during a state wide broadcast, Nyesom Wike said the medical personnel led by the Commissioner for Health has visited Bonny Island and collected samples from suspected cases for analysis and immediate intervention should the results indicate the outbreak of the virus in the area.
In a related development, the Rivers State Government has identified the Manager of one of the demolished hotels as one of the latest confirmed cases of the pandemic, but his relatives and Counsel reject the
announcement, accusing the authorities of falsifying the test result to justify the illegal action.
