Verbal autopsies are currently being carried out to determine if the cause of the deaths recorded in Kano are from Coronavirus, the Presidency has said.
Garba Shehu, Presidential spokesperson, on Wednesday said the result of the autopsies must be accepted by all and not be used to play politics.
He said, “Nigeria is only weeks into our fight against the invisible COVID-19 that earlier this year was unknown to almost every nation in the world. 
“Only earlier this month, Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, made clear that ‘We are at the beginning in Africa’.
“There is much that remains unknown about this virus. What we do know is that global infections rates continue to rise each day, even when in some nations affected some time before Nigeria, the daily rate of infection is now slowing. 
“We know too that there is a global shortage of personal protective equipment, virus testing kits and other medical devices required to fight this pandemic.
“And we also know that in each and every country there are some cities and regions more severely affected than others.
“In Nigeria, there are currently verbal autopsies underway in Kano State to identify the precise cause of the sudden and rapid increase in mortality in recent days. 
“While some may wish to believe that there are other causes at play here like hypertension, diabetes, meningitis, and acute malaria’, there are others who say it is COVID-19.
“We should be prepared to accept the medical and scientific result of the autopsies and work together to confront the common enemy.”
He added that if the deaths are determined to be COVID-19, all hands would be required on deck to ensure that the virus is wiped out of Nigeria’s most populous state.
