COVID-19: Kano’s Death Toll Rises To 71


Posted on: Thu 21-01-2021

Number of death as a result of the covid-19 pandemic has risen to 71 in Kano State. The State’s Ministry of Health in its official Twitter handle late Tuesday night tweeted that it recorded additionally one more death case.

This was coming as the Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in a stakeholder meeting on Wednesday with the five Kano Emirs rallies the support of the traditional rulers to reverse the trend and tackle the pandemic which he said is getting tougher with the second wave. Corroborating this, the Technical Coordinator of the Response Team, Dr Sabitu Shanono in his presentation said the state recorded an additional 17 covid-19 death and 827 new cases were diagnosed from November till date and within the second wave of the pandemic. Shanono said, “Kano is experiencing the gradual increase of COVID-19 cases. From 14th November 2020 to 17th January 2021 additional 827 new COVID-19 cases were diagnosed, thus bringing the total cases in Kano to 2,636.

“Over the last week, the sample positivity rate increased to 12.7% compared to the overall positivity of 4.2%. A number of cases on admission both home base care and hospital admission stand at 289. 

“A total of Seventeen (17) deaths were recorded between December and January, an incidence that we did not have since 15th July 2020,” Dr Shanono said. Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said the role of traditional leaders in the fight against the pandemic cannot be overemphasized. He said, “Indeed COVID-19 is back and we have to also be back to fight it relentlessly. It is said that, if the going is tough only tough ones keep standing. 

We shall be tougher at all times, till when we put a halt to it. “We are starting this stakeholders meeting with you because you are closer to the people at the grassroot.” He urges them to go back to their respective Emirates and mobilise their subjects against the pandemic. Saying that “You go and work closely with your District Heads, Village Heads, Ward Heads, Ulamas and other community leaders, to see that we deal decisively with this second wave. All hands must be on deck.” The Governor acknowledged that there is the problem of non-compliance from the part of the citizenry, but encouraged that, with advocacy and awareness creation campaign a lot could be achieved. “We do appreciate the role being played by the leaders of other ethnic nationalities. 

Since in the first wave of this pandemic, we knew you did very well amongst your people. This is highly commendable,” the Governor noted. Chairman of the Kano State Council of Emirs, Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, assured the governor of their unflinching support and their subjects, in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, as the second wave comes knocking on doors. 

After meeting with the Emirs, the Governor is scheduled to in next four to five days meet with stakeholders of Islamic scholars and Imams of Friday Mosques, local government chairmen. Others include members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), members of the Amalgamated Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners, Repairers and Riders Association and Heads of Major Markets in Kano. 

Others include Heads of Tertiary Institutions in the state, Heads of Academic and Non-Academic Unions, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Proprietors of private schools and proprietors of private hospitals, with non-governmental organisations, Nigeria Union of Journalists, and supermarkets operators among others. The governor is also expected to launch COVID-19 Marshals by January 24th, 2021.

Source: Vanguard