The Federal Government on Tuesday revealed that Nigeria is having setbacks in testing patients for the novel Coronavirus disease.
Addressing newsmen at the presidential task force briefing on COVID-19, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu said Nigeria is facing systematic limitations in the numbers of people who can be tested for Covid-19.
He however assured that there is a focus to improve the rate of tests carried out in the country.
Asked about the total numbers of those tested in Nigeria, Ihekweazu said: “There are systematic limitations to the numbers of people who can be tested and we are managing and improving the supply side while trying to reduce the demand side to target those who really need it. In Lagos, there are anxieties as everyone just wants to get tested.
“These people that really need it, by not testing them, they can continue transmit the disease into the community and more people will get infected when only get to those who don’t need it, it then blocks the system.
“We have a case definition for COVID-19, anyone with travel history outside Nigeria who presents with respiratory symptoms, Anyone one who is a contact of a confirmed case who presents respiratory symptoms (cough or breathing difficulties) within 14 days; or persons with respiratory symptoms of unknown explanation.
“At the moment, we were testing about 500 per day as at last week; by the end of this week, we will be at doing about 1000 tests per day and next week we hope to hit 1500 per day.
“The quickest set of Laboratories to convert are those ones we used for Lassa fever. Yes, we haven’t done enough in the past few years…unfortunately, just like the power plant, you can’t just build molecular labs overnight, we are engaging corporate bodies to increase the capacity of the existing lab as the quick solution is not to build new ones”