Dr. Nasiru Sani Gwarzo, the leader of the Presidential Task Force Committee on COVID-19 in Kano countered earlier statements made that coronavirus infections are responsible for most of mysterious deaths recorded in Kano State, saying the report credited to him was wrong and not true
This was just as the chairman of the state Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Tijjani Hussain, disclosed that no fewer than three patients who had become negative would soon be discharged after all necessary due process had been concluded.
It would be recalled that last week during in an interview in Hausa, Dr. Gwarzo reportedly attributed coronavirus infections responsible for the mysterious deaths recorded in the state.
But speaking during the Kano COVID-19 Task Force press briefing at Government House, Kano, on Tuesday Dr. Gwarzo who is a Permanent Secretary in one of the federal ministries, said medical experts undertaking verbal autopsy for those involved in the “mysterious deaths” are yet to conclude their assignment.
He said: “We have the challenge of rumour which I intend to clarify. Some newspapers reported wrongly that we attributed the people that had died in the state to COVID-19. That was not true.
“I have said repeatedly that the state is embarking on study which we are very impressed about. The state had already gone ahead to do a verbal autopsy, but the result has not come out.
“The state is also conducting investigation at the graveyards and the result is not out. Yesterday, along with the federal team and the state, we concluded another protocols, where we did the actual testing of samples.
“It is after then we can have a conclusive result to say that this is the number that had died of COVID-19 and those that died from other sources.
“I want to use this opportunity to reiterate that the report was wrong. The correct thing is that we were waiting the result. When the result comes out, it is not the responsibility of the ministerial team to announce, it is the responsibility of the Kano State government.”
In his remarks, Governor Ganduje appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for his prompt response to the calls of stakeholders and members of National Assembly to give Kano the special attention that it deserves in the fight against COVID-19.
According to him, the renewed fight against COVID-19 in the state is yielding positive results as the Ministerial Task Team on COVID-19 is planning together with the Kano team to dislodge COVID-19 pandemic from the state.
Ganduje also commended President Buhari for ensuring that the NCDC Test Centre at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospitals (AKTH) is now working.
