Up to 60 percent of the 979 mysterious deaths reported in Kano State mid April were caused by coronavirus, the Federal Government said on Monday.
The government said this was part of the findings of investigations conducted by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.
Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, said the report was coming almost two months after what was reported as ‘strange deaths’ ravaged the populated city, claiming lives of quite a number of its prominent citizens.
The number of strange deaths linked to COVID-19 in the city, about 587, almost doubles the number of coronavirus fatality in the entire country, at 354 as at midnight on Sunday.
“With regard to unexplained deaths in Kano which occurred in April, the team confirmed from graveyard records that a total of 979 deaths were recorded in eight municipal LGAs in the state at a rate of 43 deaths per day, with a peak in the second week of April,” Ehanire said at the daily briefing of the PTF in Abuja.
“By the beginning of May, the death rate had reduced to the 11 deaths per day it used to be. The verbal autopsy revealed that about 56 percent of deaths had occurred at home while 38 percent were in a hospital. With circumstantial evidence as all to go by, investigation suggests that between 50-60 percent of the deaths may have been triggered by or due to COVID-19, in the face of preexisting ailments. Most fatalities were over 65 years of age,” he said.
Ehanire also said management of COVID-19 infected cases was being reviewed and improved, with revised clinical guidelines to be published in accordance with the learnings and evolving dynamics associated with COVID-19 and global best practices.
“This includes new discharge protocols, treatment regimen for asymptomatic or symptomatic cases with various clinical conditions. We continue to collaborate with states and the FCT with regard to their management of cases with provision of commodities, training and other technical support where needed,” he said.
Ehanire noted that the two-day webinar held on June 3-4 on the effect of COVID-19 on health-care management of the elderly was conducted in collaboration with the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), and took a critical look at various aspects of the impact of the disease on the elderly, who are usually at higher risk of infection.
He said the outcome of the webinar provides grounds for policy direction for care of the elderly during and beyond COVID-19, saying the general recommendation is that senior citizens are vulnerable and should stay at home most times and wear a mask once outside their home.
The government also said the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has commenced the process of integrating comprehensive psychological services programme into its activities as part of plans to enhance the psychological wellbeing of patients and their relatives.
Boss Mustapha, chairman of the PTF COVID-19 response team, said at the daily briefing that the plan would benefit people who are in isolation, wellbeing of their families and communities.
The drive which is already being spearheaded by the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, FCT, will inevitably assume a national dimension because of the importance of mental health.
The PTF had before now paid a lot of priority on the physical health management of people who are affected.
The PTF, while providing situation reports on the first 100 days, said the number of laboratories in the COVID-19 network has increased from two to 30 – with a laboratory in every geopolitical zone in the country, providing increased access to testing.
This is just as over 80,000 tests have been conducted in the country, 13,000 health workers have been trained, increasing the human resource available for case management.
“More personal protective equipment and ventilators have been procured and prepositioned across the country, with the number of beds available for isolation and case management increased from 3,000 beds to 5,000 beds nationwide,” Mustapha said.
He said the country has “developed new guidelines for homecare and general case management, evacuated over 1,000 Nigerians from different parts of the world while still reviewing the evacuation and quarantine protocols and evaluated the efficiency of the identification, testing, evacuation, and isolation process for confirmed cases”.
Other achievements of the PTF include gradual reopening of the economy while balancing between lives and livelihood, while a Mid Action Review has been conducted in line with WHO guidelines, with lessons and recommendations being used to improve the response.
The PTF has also introduced community engagement and risk communication as critical factors that will help to flatten the curve in a sustainable manner.
“There are several on-going infrastructure interventions being made by government, development partners and the private sector nationwide,” he said, adding that the last 100 days have also brought out the best in the spirit of Nigerians.
Aliyu Sani, national coordinator, said the task force has proposed new protocol for the evacuation of Nigerians abroad, as over 4,000 Nigerians are currently awaiting evacuation.
Aliyu, who said it was essential that Nigeria gets it right and makes the best use of resources available, added that it was working to bring the more than 4,000 Nigerians currently outside the country to come in and join their families.
“The PTF has the responsibility of mitigating risks, and ensuring that we do not increase the number of cases we have in the country, therefore increasing the risk of transmission,” he said. “We have looked at the various options available, and I’m grateful that the private sector has clearly stepped out and supported the testing that would be required for the Nigerians coming in.”
