₦airaland Forum

* Begins ‘verbal’ autopsy

Kano State government has finally responded to the people’s agitations and concern over reported mass deaths of people in the state. Daily Trust gathered that the state government has begun verbal autopsy to ascertain the possible causes of the deaths and to enable the authorities to take the necessary measure toward ending the problem.

The government’s adoption of verbal autopsy was made known by the Deputy Coordinator of Kano State COVID-19 Response Team, Dr Sabitu Shu’aibu. He stated that the government had earlier put up a system to investigate if there was a link between COVID-19 and the deaths, adding that the system came up with the verbal autopsy method.

“Kano State government has begun house-to-house engagement with families of those that have died to carefully administer questions on the symptoms exhibited by the victims before they died. This is what is termed clinically as verbal autopsy and it will allow the health professionals to predict the possible causes of the recorded deaths,” he said.

Similarly, Dr Usman Bashir of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), stated that in an environment where an autopsy is not conducted due to some issues and when the dead had already been buried, verbal autopsy is the best way to go. He noted that it is apparent that such deaths must be recorded because all attention is presently focused on the epidemic while other sicknesses are neglected, stressing that the adoption of verbal autopsy would unravel the mystery of the mass deaths.

“The verbal autopsies would surely unravel things that we are not even looking at because we have overstretched our energy and resources on COVID-19.

This year’s Ramadan fast started throughout the country yesterday, but the holy month will be observed under unusual circumstances as Muslim faithful in several states face the coronavirus lockdown amid unpaid salaries. Muslims face a peculiar Ramadan period this year with virtual lockdown in almost all sectors of the nation’s economy and social life as evidenced by the highly recommended social distancing and movement restrictions. The beginning of the fast is made more unusual among civil servants who have yet to get this month’s salaries. In Bauchi State for instance which is under partial lockdown, civil servants are yet to get their April salaries, same as in many other states.

A Bauchi-based civil servant said as a civil service state, nothing goes on without salaries. “I am currently under personal lockdown because of the unpaid salary. I cannot buy anything for the Ramadan fast. Yesterday, my neighbor gave me N1000 to buy some items to start the fast, unlike before when the government usually paid workers even before the month end to assist us prepare for the fast,” he said.

Another civil servant said; “I have two wives and six children, I’m supposed to stockpile food items to feed them, but I cannot because there is no money, and that has greatly affected our kitchen. We are still waiting for the salary. “In the past, the situation was different, I am supposed to buy some things for my children in preparation for Sallah to avoid exploitation from traders, but with the inability of the state government to pay salaries, the hope is completely dashed.

And this lockdown will not allow someone to explore other options to look for money, so we are in a deep problem, but God will intervene.” Elsewhere in Kaduna, civil servants said they were in “double lockdown”, as they expected their salaries earlier than now to cushion the effects of the 24-hour curfew imposed on the state to curtail spread of COVID-19.

As at yesterday afternoon, Daily Trust Saturday gathered that they were yet to get salary alerts. “We are facing a double lockdown,” said a civil servant with the Ministry of Justice who requested anonymity. “We are not yet paid and we are not allowed to go out even when Ramadan has commenced, that is double lockdown,” he said.

He said the administration of Malam Nasir El-Rufai was known to pay salaries on time and was considerate at festivities including the Ramadan period, adding, “I can’t say what caused the delay this year but the government had in the past considered the month of Ramadan when it came to salary payment.”

Another civil servant said, “We were hopeful that salaries would be paid on Friday, especially since the Ramadan has commenced but from all indications, we are not getting it perhaps till next week.” He said he expected the salary as feeding his family had been a challenge since the lockdown started.

* Confirmed cases rise to 21 in 5 days

* Locals urge more commitment from govt

Heavily armed security operatives have taken over major streets in Kano as the one-week lockdown imposed by the state government took effect from 10 O’clock last night. The lockdown is to stem the fast-spreading coronavirus which is increasing daily. Daily Trust reports that Kano has a population of over 13 million people, and is the third state in the North West to record the COVID-19 case after Kaduna and Katsina.

Before Kano recorded its index case on Saturday, April 11, there had been mounting pressure on the government to shut its borders with other states in addition to stricter movement measures. However, the closure of the boundaries did not happen until Friday, March 27, when the state government banned interstate travels. It was 15 days after the closure of the boundaries that the index case was reported, heightening fears that the vital period had already been lost.

The first COVID-19 case was a 75-year-old retiree and a former ambassador who reportedly travelled to Kaduna, Abuja and Lagos and went back to Kano on March 25. The index case allegedly withheld critical information about his medical condition and travel history to doctors at the hospital where he was first treated, with sources saying that before then, the man had allegedly attended several functions, a development related to the rising cases of the disease in the state.

On Monday, April 13, two additional cases of the COVID-19 were recorded in Kano and on Wednesday, April 15, the state government announced five more cases in the morning and in the evening of the same day, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced 12 additional cases, making it a total of 21cases within a space of four days in the state. The news of the first fatality of the COVID-19 was also reported by the media even though neither the Kano State government nor the NCDC has issued a statement in that respect.

However, there are fears in many quarters on the preparedness of the state government in terms of resources, manpower and logistics to stem the coronavirus pandemic through contact tracing, isolation and treatment.

Experts say considering its landmass and strategic location as the business nerve of the North, authorities in Kano State would have to do a lot to make headway in stopping the spread of the COVID-19.

Three persons who tested positive for the Covid-19 in Bauchi, have fully recovered and discharged from the Isolation Centre. The Bauchi state governor, Senator Bala Mohammed made this known on Thursday evening via his Twitter handle @SenBalaMohammed. “I am delighted to announce that at this time, three persons who tested positive to #COVID19 and therefore were admitted into the Bauchi isolation centre have fully recovered.

The @NCDCgov has given the green light, and they have all been released to go home,” he said The governor urged residents to obey the measures put in place to help curb the spread of the disease.

“I urge all indigenes and residents of the state to continue to work with us to keep the state free of #COVID19 by strictly practising social distancing, conscious personal hygiene, and to report any suspicious cases,” he said.

As at 11:20 pm 15th April, there are 407 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria. 128 have been discharged with 12 deaths. It would be recalled that the governor on Friday, attended Jumma’at prayers few hours after he was discharged from isolation centre following his recovery from the virus. The governor, in company of his deputy, Senator Baba Tela; Commissioners, senior government officials and traditional rulers as well as thousands of faithfuls, attended the Jumma’at prayers at Bauchi Central Mosque.

The Friday congregational prayer was the first public outing of the governor since he was confirmed to have contracted the disease two weeks ago. He was seen in the mosque wearing face mask and hand gloves, but declined to shake hands. Governor Mohammed was discharged last Thursday evening after his second COVID-19 test appeared negative.

The Sokoto State Covid-19 Rapid Response Team on Wednesday said it has received 170 alerts which it was investigating. The team leader, Dr. Ali Inname, revealed this to Daily Trust in a phone interview.

Inname, who is the Commissioner of Health, added that 18 cases had so far been tested negative. He said that the state would embark on house-to-house search of Lagos and Abuja returnees.

This, he said, is to ensure all returnees are tracked down, isolated and tested for coronavirus. The measures is to forestall the outbreak of the disease in the state, according to him. Lagos and Abuja combine to make more that half of the cases recorded so far in the country.

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