CoronaVirus Updates
NCDC gets 3 new labs for COVID-19 testing
BY EMMANUEL OGWU
Nigeria’s capacity to test for the coronavirus infection increased on Tuesday with the addition of three new Molecular laboratories into the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) network.
The NCDC said the activation of the three new labs has brought the total number of labs on its network to 33.
It added that five other labs in Kwara, Gombe, Ekiti, Ondo and Abia states will come on stream shortly, as they were currently being set up.
“The following three labs have been activated for inclusion in the NCDC Molecular Lab Network:
Biorepository & Clinical Virology Lab UCH, Ibadan; Molecular Diagnostics Lab, Infectious Disease Unit, General Hospital, Ituk Mkpang, Akwa Ibom and Jigawa State Molecular Lab, Dutse.
“This brings the total number of labs with capacity to test for #COVID19 in Nigeria to 33.
“In progress: Kwara, Gombe, Ekiti, Ondo & Abia,” the NCDC announced on its Twitter handle on Tuesday.
READ: Nigeria records 663 new cases of COVID-19, highest in a day
Nigeria has so far conducted test for the coronavirus on about 80,000 samples. It is believed that with the increased number of laboratories, the volume of samples tested daily by the NCDC will also increase.