The Kaduna State Ministry of Health has confirmed that the state has 28 active Covid-19 cases as it awaits more results from the 350 tests it has conducted.
Testing of 167 almajiris from Kano has now been completed, and the number of positive cases from this group may rise beyond the 21 recorded before we completed testing this category of persons.
Active cases in the state rose to 28 on Thursday, 30 April 2020, according to a statement by Dr. Amina Mohammed-Baloni,
Commissioner of Health, on Saturday.
The three patients that increased the number from 25 include two males and the first female Covid-19 case in the state. The female patient is a health worker who is not involved in the treatment of Covid-19 cases.
One of the two males was a retired civil servant male with underlying medical conditions, who concealed his recent travel to Kano when he visited a public hospital and a private hospital.
He was eventually admitted at the isolation center with respiratory distress.
He died before his positive test result was released. He is the first Covid-19 fatality in Kaduna State. His family has been informed of his demise and he has since been buried according to the burial protocol of the NCDC.
Following this development, state health officials are decontaminating the two hospitals that the deceased visited. Staff who attended to him have been isolated, as have his family members.
The Ministry therefore appeals to citizens who suspect that they have been exposed to Covid-19 to avoid infecting others. Rather, they should follow the safe protocol of isolating themselves at home while contacting health officials.
Concealing relevant information and engaging in conduct that exposes others to the risk of infection constitutes a danger to the community and is regarded as wilful and reckless endangerment of the well-being and lives of other citizens. Such conduct contravenes the provisions of the Quarantine Orders and could lead to prosecution.
The Ministry of Health wishes to remind the general public of the importance of hand-washing, personal hygiene, social distancing and the avoidance of large gatherings in helping protect us all from Covid-19. Residents should wear face masks when leaving their homes and should wash their hands when they return home.
Keeping safe from this pandemic is the personal responsibility of every citizen. All of us must take steps to protect ourselves and our households from Covid-19.
