COVID19 claims COS, 17 others

By Ladapo Kolade

There was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth in the home of the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Abba Kyari yesterday as wives of big guns consoled his family.
It was the final evidence that the major power broker who has the ears of the president has succumbed to the deadly impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Friday.
The event occurred on a day the nation counted its losses to the pandemic to 17 even as 51 fresh cases of persons confirmed to be positive with the virus spiked the numbers to 493, according to figures released by the National Centre for Disease Control.
The pattern emerging from the figures raises concern over increasing transmission rates in Nigeria’s urban and elite cities.
Despite the success recorded in discharges of treated cases,Lagos yesterday maintain its lead in confirmed cases with 32 while Kano and Kaduna trailed behind with 6 and 5 cases.
The Federal Capital Territory, another epicentre, and Oyo State recorded two each while Ekiti and Ogun state had one each.
Katsina, the president’s home state is giving observers a lot to worry about. Although it recorded two according to NCDC figures, there are agitations in the social media for the NCDC to probe the reports from its officials on ground.
The sad death of the COS has sent shockwaves across the country bringing to people the harsh reality of the deadly virus.