The Kano State Government on Tuesday said it has begun investigation into reports of surging deaths and burials in the Kano metropolis, fuelling fears amid the state’s rising tally of confirmed Coronavirus cases.
150 people were reportedly buried between Friday and Sunday at cemeteries in Kano and this has raised concerns on whether the deaths have links to the COVID-19 infection.
A lot of reasons are being attributed to the deaths including a mysterious illness. But the death surge trending on the social media comes as the populous state recorded 23 cases of COVID-19 on Monday taking its tally to 59, according to figures by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The state is now the third worst-hit by the virus, after Lagos and FCT and its dramatic turn happened in just a week.
Reacting to the reports of the shocking deaths, Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Aminu Tsanyawa, said that the ministry had embarked on clinical investigation to unravel the cause of the said deaths.
Tsanyawa advised residents not to panic. He urging them to observe preventive measures and personal hygiene, while complying with the stay-at-home order.
“The ministry is aware of social media reports insinuating mass deaths in the metropolis. We will soon address the issue,” he said.
Also, Executive Secretary, Kano State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Tijjani Hussaini said medics were yet to ascertain the medical cause of the said deaths.
Hussaini said that the investigation was focusing on the symptoms exhibited by the victims before giving up.
“We want to know the number of persons already dead.
“We also want to investigate how they died”.
“It is when we have a good idea; it is when we get the outcome of the findings that we can properly draw conclusions and brief the public,” he said.
