Covid-19: Former envoy tests positive

 Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

KANO State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on Saturday confirmed that a 75-year old retired civil servant and former Ambassador got infected with the Covid-19, following a test.

Ganduje said the state government took the blood samples of 10 suspected cases to Abuja three days ago in which nine came out negative, while that of the former Ambassador was positive.

The governor who spoke at Africa House, Government House, described the development as sad, pointing out that the state will take more drastic measures to ensure that the situation does not get out of hand.

He also ordered that tricycles in the state will henceforth be mandated to carry only one passenger as part of measures to prevent further spread of the virus.

According to him, “indeed, it is a sad moment for us. This is an occasion that we are not happy with. I am unhappy to inform the people of Kano state that today (Saturday), we got a patient who tested positive for Covid-19.

“He is a 75-year old retiree and former Ambassador. He travelled to Kaduna, Lagos and Abuja, and came back to Kano on 25 March, 2020,” he stated.

Ganduje further stated that, “today, it is confirmed that we have a case of Covid-19 in Kano. The former Ambassador has no history of travelling abroad in recent times, but medical reports confirmed that he has health complications.”

He said the Covid-19 patient has already been taken to Kurna Dawakin Kudu Isolation Centre where he is receiving adequate attention.

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“There in Kurna Dawakin Kudu, we have 70 beds, ventilators and other facilities. What we are doing now is to trace those he has contacts with.

“We learnt that he attended a marriage ceremony– we are trying to get those who he had contacts with at the marriage ceremony. We also learnt that he attended Mosque last Friday, we are also tracing those who he has contacts with him.”

Ganduje stated that a private hospital where the former Ambassador had gone for normal treatment before he was found to be positive has been shut down just as the doctors and nurses who attended to him have been traced.

He said the samples of all the family members of the former Ambassador have been taken for test, adding that all the samples taken have been deposited at the Covid-19 test Laboratory at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH).

Ganduje urged members of the public to adhere strictly to directives as given by the Federal Ministry of Health, State Ministry of Health, WHO and other health experts, pointing out the importance of observing social distancing.

He also directed that with immediate effect, all tricycles operating in the state would be carrying only one passenger, while government is making plans to identify markets that are necessary to operate in the state.