The internet has gone agog in the past few days with rising death rates in Kano State. Social media users have expressed deep concerns and majority are of the opinion that this could be the ravaging effects of the Coronavirus in Nigeria and they have demanded accountability and the swift attention of the state government, the NCDC and the presidency.
In spite of these uncertainties and 640 deaths in the past week, The Commissioner of Information of Kano State, Malam Garba in a statement as reported by Independent NG on the 27th of April, 2020 assured that the verbal autopsy began over the weekend and experts have been sent to eight Local Government Areas to visit the families of the deceased. In the same report, he assured the residents of Kano State to remain calm and strictly adhere to the official guidelines for the prevention of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The verbal autopsy involves questioning the family of the deceased to determine the circumstances surrounding the demise of their loved ones
However, some Nigerians have expressed displeasure about this development and medical personnels have stated that a verbal autopsy is not encompassing and an actual autopsy is necessary.
The state has explained their stand on this, stating that the tradition and religious beliefs of the people does not support an autopsy and for this reason, they are limited to questioning the loved ones of the deceased.
Today, in a report by the Independent NG, Malam Muhammad Garba the commissioner of Information for Kano State stated that the increase in death rate is due to hypertension, diabetes, meningitis and acute malaria and not the COVID-19 pandemic as rumoured
At 12:15pm, today, 27th April 2020 the Kano State Ministry of Health reported that 2 patients had passed on from complications of the Coronavirus which brings the official total number of deaths in Kano State to three.
STAY SAFE
