Local: Coronavirus: FG To Increase Weekly Testing By Over 9,000

The Nigeria Center for Disease Control, in its Regional Strategy to Scale Up Access to Coronavirus Disease Research in Nigeria, reported on its website that the purpose of preparing to re-use tuberculosis machines was to decentralize and speed up research around the world and improve national surveillance of COVID-19.

Nevertheless, the Federal Government may be able to increase its weekly COVID-19 testing by 9,100 following its readiness to repurpose the tuberculosis GeneXpert machines already deployed in all the states and the Federal Capital Territory, Saturday.

In the document, the NCDC explained that the country has 407 GeneXpert instruments deployed in 399 health facilities across the country, for use as first-line testing for TB diagnosis. It, however, noted that the United States-based Food and Drug Administration had granted the manufacturer, Cepheid, Emergency Use Authorisations for the use of the instruments and specially designed cartridge in testing for COVID-19.

The NCDC, which is the coordinating agency for the COVID-19 response in the country, said that “every state of the federation including the FCT has at least five GeneXpert sites, at least one site in each state will be repurposed for COVID-19 testing.”

It noted that with the GeneXpert machines, each of which could test 24 samples daily, it is targeting 1,300 tests per day with ability to return test results same day, and since the NCDC conducts tests every day of the week, Nigeria could therefore increase its weekly testing by 9,100.

The NCDC added, that there are also available in-country two mobile laboratories equipped with two GeneXpert instruments each. These will be deployed as needed to support COVID-19 testing surge in target states.

The planned decentralised testing using GeneXpert will enable states to test low volume samples (1–24 samples daily) with same day return of results, while bulk samples will be referred to the Central/Regional PCR Laboratories as elucidated above. This will increase the country’s testing capacity by additional 1,300 tests per day.”

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Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health said at the briefing by the Presidential task Force on COVID-19 on Friday that government envisaged a steady rise in the number of cases with “more diligent testing, treatment, isolation and (contact) tracing.”

He added that in the use of the GeneXpert machines, the government would prioritise Sokoto and Borno states as soon as the cartridges begin to arrive in a few weeks.

He said, “A Federal Ministry of Health team has been assembled to proceed to Sokoto and Borno on fact-finding and support missions to engage with state authorities and determine material and technical needs.

“A most immediate probability is the prioritisation of these states for the deployment of repurposed GeneXpert machines as soon as we start receiving the cartridges in a few weeks to bring speed to testing.”

Speaking on the index case in Benue State, Ehanire said the government was able to persuade Mrs Susan Idoko-Okpe to allow her test sample to be taken to the laboratory for testing on Thursday and that the result was being awaited, noting that it would be given to her in person.

He said that the annual World Health Assembly held every year in Geneva, Switzerland will begin on Monday by teleconference, and he would lead the Nigerian delegation to the conference, which he said would concentrate on global dissemination and response to COVID-19.

Ehanire noted that the government had not allowed Nigerians to be treated by foreign medical practitioners.