Nigerian authorities have linked the deaths of up to 600 people in the country's second largest city to coronavirus after probing a surge in fatalities there.
"With regard to unexplained deaths in Kano which occurred in April, the team confirmed from graveyard records that a total of 979 deaths were recorded," Ehanire said at a briefing on Monday, adding that most fatalities were above the age of 65.
Ehanire said the surge in deaths had subsided by the beginning of May and the "rate had reduced to the 11 deaths per day it used to be".
Medical investigators had already put the bulk of the unexplained deaths down to coronavirus but had not previously given detailed figures.
Teams have also been probing reported dramatic increases in death rates from April and May in some regions neighbouring Kano.
