Anthony Iwuoma
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Sunday confirmed that the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is responsible for the mysterious deaths in Kano State.
The leader of the panel that is working to identify the cause of the deaths Dr. Nasiru Sani Gwarzo, disclosed this in its preliminary report.
Gwarzo explained while speaking with reporters in Kano that autopsies and tests established that Covid-19 caused the deaths.
The finding contrasts with the stance of the Kano State government, which had repeatedly claimed that the deaths were not related to Covid-19 but “mysterious causes”.
However, Gwarzo said: ‘’With the preliminary report, most of the deaths recorded of recent and tests carried out indicated that coronavirus is the cause. Hence, before the final reports which would be ready in the next one week or few days, it is necessary for people of the state to wake up from their slumber that this is a serious issue at hand.
Kano, the largest city in the North and it’s economic hub has lost several prominent men and women under mysterious circumstances since April 25.
But according to Gwarzo: “We have five cogent reasons to say that the mass deaths recorded in Kano is associated with Coronavirus.”
He added that judging by the age of the deceased persons, concentration of the people in one place and tests that were carried out, showed evidence of Covid-19.
Speaking further on mass death in Kano, Gwarzo said there are three studies that are going on the results will be giving an idea very soon and now we are getting clearer on the causes of death and we will tell you people very shortly when the test are done we shall give you very clear pictures of the outcome of the result.
He frowned at the attitude of Kano residents, who are indifferent to stipulated guidelines for curtailing the spread of virus.
“Awareness is our main problem. Until when Kano people are ready to accept the reality that Covid-19 is real then we have a long way to go because most of the residents are yet to believe in the seriousness of the pandemic. Until they take precautionary measures against the spread of the disease through community transmission.
“The Presidential Task Force is here to support the state team. We are not re-inventing the wheel and we are not creating a parallel structure; we only have instructions from the Federal Government to come and assist by working with the team, ” Gwarzo said.
“We don’t look at problems as shortcoming but we look at them as challenges. That is why the Presidential Task force is here to resolve these challenges.
“The major challenges we have I can assure you is not from the government of Kano, it is from the people of Kano, they must have understanding, they must have the clear appreciation of the magnitude and trajectory of the epidemic otherwise if they don’t, whatever is invested will come to a difficult end.”
He also revealed that new measures are being put in place to help fight the scourge in Kano.
“We have six centres that are ready to take the upsurge. In the next 48hours, Kano will have a new 500 space capacity. In the next two weeks, we will be able to make one thousand to three thousand capacity so that more people are received, given care, and in the process protected from not only getting sick but protected from not transmitting the disease.
“Here in Kano, we have about three centres, one has the capacity of 180 samples and another 80. It is 260 and with the Dangote Foundation bringing another new Mobile Testing Laboratory Centre in the state with 400 samples capacity there will be tremendous improvement.
“It will now reach about 660 within the possible time and that will not be enough and since they said within one week it will accommodate one thousand samples; that will make us to get out of this problem.
“Within no time you will see other states will be bringing their samples here in Kano and that will further ginger us to further expand our scope to achieve maximally.
“No country in the whole world will say that she is free of the virus we have to be proactive in expanding and providing sophisticated equipment that could enable us to be ahead of COVID 19 and if we relent the end result will be destructive,” Gwarzo said.