By IBRAHIM BELLO

Kebbi State has recorded the first death arising from the second index case of novel coronavirus pandemic.

The chairman of the state Task Force on COVID-19, Alhaji Muhammad Jafaar, told newsmen on Saturday in Birnin Kebbi that the second index case, the 60-year-old patient was brought from Usmanu Dan Fodio Teaching Hospital (UDTH), Sokoto, into the state.

Jafaar, who is the state Commissioner for Health, explained that the patient was discovered at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Birnin Kebbi, to be diabetic and hypertensive before contracting the virus.

“This is the second index case.

“He was a 60-year-old man brought from Usmanu Dan Fodio Teaching Hospital, Sokoto by a relative to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Birnin Kebbi, where he was receiving treatment for diabetes and hypertension.

“While in the FMC, a consultant was invited and COVID-19 was suspected and our response team was called in.

“Sample was collected from the patient on 25 April.

“Before the patient was taken to the isolation centre, he died on April 26.

“On the April 29, the result of the test turned positive of COVID-19.

“From then, our contacts tracing team swung into actions and traced 12 closed contacts and 17 other contacts.

“All samples have been collected and sent to the laboratory for testing,’’ he explained.

Jafaar said that the management of the UDUTH, Sokoto had been contacted and working together with Kebbi’s COVID-19 task force to curtail the virus.

The commissioner urged the people of the state to remain calm, assuring that the state had received technical support from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on the case management.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the state government had on April 26 announced the first index case of COVID-19 in the state.

The patient was a 40-year-old man with a travel history of having come from Lagos State. (NAN)

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