By Idris Shehu
Bauchi State Government has denied reports of mass deaths in Azare as reported in some sections of the media and the social media declaring that only 30 people have died in the last one week and not related to COVID-19 pandemic.
The State Deputy Governor, Sen Baba Tela while giving update on the COVID-19 pandemic situation declared that so far in Azare only one person died of COVID-19 pandemic while receiving treatment at the FMC, Azare.
On the mysterious deaths, he opined that it is a seasonal thing in the area especially during the hot season when people with underlying illnesses get complications which always lead to their deaths stressing that the deaths are not in anyway related to COVID-19 pandemic.
The Deputy Governor however explained that what is happening in Azare is a spilt over from Kano considering the proximity of the Northern zone of the state to Kano and Jigawa states where the mysterious deaths are occurring assuring that medical experts are working round the clock to ascertain the disease and its causes.
He added that, as at Saturday, 9th May, only 26 patients are in admission at the FMC, Azare having tested positive to COVID-19 and are receiving treatment while a few others have been quarantined awaiting the results of their sample test.
Baba Tela who is Chairman of the State Rapid Response Taskforce on COVID-19 and Lassa Fever assured that government is doing everything possible to reduce number of infections in the state adding that facilities FMC Azare will be expanded to ensure that the infection was curtailed.
It will be recalled that a former Member of the House of Representatives who represented Katagum federal constituency, Ibrahim Mohammed Baba had claimed that over 100 people have died within the last one week in Azare due to COVID-19.
The former Member, made the claim in a letter he wrote and signed addressed to the President Muhammadu Buhari dated May 8th, 2020, through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha.
In the said letter which was obtained by our Correspondent in Bauchi on Saturday, titled: ‘Massive COVID-19 outbreak in Azare: Request for urgent action’, Mohammed Baba said that the situation has thrown the entire area into great mourning, panic and confusion.
He further said that the 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.
In a related development, in an open letter to Sen Bala Mohammed, the Bauchi State Governor, a resident of Azare, Musa Azare, claimed that as at Thursday, there were over 301 fresh graves at the Azare cemetery.
He expressed concern that what was more worrisome was the way people accompany corpses for burial pointing out that it was in total disobedience to government’s directives and protocols.
