Kwara Reports First COVID-19 Death, Four New Cases

The Kwara State government says it has recorded its first COVID-19 death.

This was revealed in a statement released by the state’s technical committee spokesman on the virus, Rafiu Ajakaye on Saturday.

Ajakaye, who is also the Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, said the state had also recorded four new coronavirus cases.

The new figures bring to 28 the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kwara State. Of these, 19 are active while nine have been discharged.

All active cases are asymptomatic, Ajakaye said.

According to the statement, the COVID-19 patient who died “had recently arrived Kwara from Lagos with his wife and a child shortly after he suffered stroke at his Lagos base. Before his death, the government had treated him, his wife and their child as suspected cases and samples were taken from them. The results of their samples came back positive.

“Unfortunately, he died early Saturday morning even before the family got to know about their COVID status. He has been buried accordingly. Everyone involved in the burial has now had their samples taken.”

The statement added that “because of the peculiarity of this development, the Rapid Response Team has moved in to bring all those involved, into the isolation centre, including the wife and the child.”

The government also urged citizens to see COVID-19 as “a deadly and highly contagious virus that requires adherence to all safety protocols, including obeying the lockdown order.

“We repeat that there is no shame or blame in contracting the virus as this is a global pandemic from which no one is immune.”