Yes, nothing less than six bodies buried a day in Azare, Bauchi denies report of massive COVID-19 death
The report by a former House of Representatives member Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed Baba to President Muhammadu Buhari crying for help over mass deaths in Azare in Bauchi state has been debunked by the state government.
The deputy governor, who is also the state Chairman of the Task Force on COVID-19 and Lassa fever, Alhaji Baba Tela, while giving an update on coronavirus pandemic in the state said nothing less than six bodies a day, were buried in Azare ‘contrary to what was reported, so it was false reports’
He went on to say that only one person has died had from Coronavirus related complications at the Federal Medical Centre in Azare
.He said “Following investigation of the report making the rounds in the state that there were multiple deaths of Coronavirus patients in Azare, we only confirmed that only one death of COVID-19 patient was recorded at the FMC, Azare.
“The death occurred last night (Friday) being the first death while 26 patients that tested positive for coronavirus are currently receiving treatment at the isolation centre.
“ A large number of suspected cases of COVID-19 in the state came in from Kano and Jigawa axis,” he said.
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Tela, went on to say that the medical personnel attend to patients that tested positive for COVID-19, are also the ones that treat patients for other ailments.
“But the state government and the stakeholders will come out with a robust system to fill the gap and retrain the health personnel that will only concentrate on patients that tested positive for Coronavirus ,” he said.
He alleged that the conducts of the drivers transporting passengers from the neighbouring states were endangering the lives of the citizens residing in Bauchi state.
“I went to the cemetery to investigate the report of multiple deaths in Azare , but I confirmed that it was normal and seasonal deaths.
“Yes, they buried nothing less than six bodies a day, contrary to what was reported, so it was false reports.
“ We agree that most of the deaths occurred within the same age brackets with those deaths recorded in Kano. The reason is that Kano, Jigawa and Azare have the same peculiarities,” he said.
The , however, directed the Commissioner for Health to investigate the root cause of the ailment that was causing the deaths of some people in Azare.
Ibrahim Mohammed Baba, in his letter to the President had said that over 100 people have died within the last one week in Azare due to COVID-19.
The letter to the President Buhari dated May 8th, 2020, through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, titled: ‘Massive COVID-19 outbreak in Azare: Request for urgent action’, read
“Your Excellency, Sir, I write to draw your kind attention to the massive outbreak of coronavirus in Azare town and environs in Bauchi State, which has already resulted in over 100 fatalities in the last one week, and this has thrown the entire area into great mourning, panic and confusion.”
“The centrality and proximity of Azare to Bauchi, Kano and some major cities of Jigawa State make the town’s large population susceptible to the virus due to the already existing large cases of the disease in those areas.
“And because media coverage is always largely skewed towards states capitals and other more prominent cities, the ongoing horrific situation in Azare has not gotten the attention it deserves, and that’s why I want to use this privilege to appeal to you for urgent action to arrest the unpalatable situation,” he claimed.
“Consequently, therefore, I wish to appeal to Your Excellency to direct the National Center for Diseases Control (NCDC) and the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to urgently reach out to Azare town with all the necessary facilities and palliatives to assist the communities there.
“And to help in this expected effort, may I draw your attention to the fact that an Opthalmology unit and laboratory have already been built and equipped by the Central Bank of Nigeria at the Azare Federal Medical Center since 2013 but have not been commissioned and put to use up till now. This facility can be repurposed to a COVID-19 test and treatment center provided the right equipment are added, including ventilators,” he wrote.
