Investing.com - Financial Markets Worldwide

At least half of mystery deaths in Nigeria's Kano due to COVID-19 - minister

Published 08/06/2020, 18:14
Updated 08/06/2020, 18:18
At least half of mystery deaths in Nigeria's Kano due to COVID-19 - minister

ABUJA, June 8 (Reuters) - As many as 60% of the "mysterious"
deaths in Nigeria's northern Kano state were likely due to the
new coronavirus, the government's health minister said on
Monday.
Nigeria's task force on COVID-19 sent a team to the northern
economic hub in late April to investigate and conduct "verbal
autopsies" after local newspaper the Daily Trust reported a
spike in deaths to around 150 people in Kano city.
Government Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire said the
investigation found a total of 979 deaths were recorded in eight
municipal local government areas in Kano state at a rate of 43
deaths per day, compared with the typical death rate of roughly
11 deaths per day.
"With circumstantial evidence as all to go by, investigation
suggests that between 50-60% of the deaths may have been
triggered by or due to COVID-19, in the face of pre-existing
ailments," Ehanire said.
He said the peak in deaths occurred in the second week of
April, and that by the beginning of May, the death rate had gone
back down to the normal rate.
The Kano state government had said the deaths were caused by
complications from hypertension, diabetes, meningitis and acute
malaria and not the COVID-19 pandemic. Kano state entered a lockdown in April to stem the spread of
the virus. The federal government said this month it would ease
the lockdown. Nigeria currently has 12,486 confirmed coronavirus cases,
999 of them in Kano, and a total of 354 deaths. Just 48 of the
officially confirmed deaths due to COVID are in Kano state.

Latest comments

Install Our App
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.