NCDC denies transporting COVID-19 positive samples from one state to another
By The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has denied transporting coronavirus positive samples from one state to another as claimed.
Reacting to statements credited to the Cross River State commissioners for health and information, it stated that the statements are “a misrepresentation of the federal ministry of health’s COVID-19 testing strategy and efforts to protect the health of Nigerians from this disease.”
“We would like to state unequivocally that there is no plan to transport positive samples from one state to another,” it stated.
In a statement made available to the media, it pointed out that it is leading the expansion of testing capacity for COVID-19 in the country adding that as part of the national strategy to scale up COVID-19 testing, it is leveraging GeneXpert equipment currently used for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.
“The use of GeneXpert will significantly scale-up testing for COVID-19 and improve turn-around time for results in the country.
“Nigeria is one of many countries around the world using the GeneXpert system to scale up testing capacity.
“This expansion process is in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), and supported by partners at US-CDC, KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) and others.
“There are 400 sites in Nigeria with GeneXpert equipment for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.”
It explained that the centre has, however “prioritised the roll-out of GeneXpert in states where there is a high level of community transmission and states with limited or no laboratory capacity for the diagnosis of COVID-19 at the moment.”
It listed the states as Abia, Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Lagos, Enugu, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Benue, and the FCT adding that already, “we have worked with NTBLCP and our partners to activate two GeneXpert laboratories in Kaduna and Nasarawa States.
According to the statement, it plans to roll out the GeneXpert testing sites for COVID-19 in every state in Nigeria.
Noting that it has the responsibility to scale-up the capacity for COVID-19 diagnosis in Nigeria as it responds to this pandemic, it added that its ability to promptly detect cases and halt the spread of the virus in our communities, “is largely dependent on our ability to scale-up access to testing for Nigerians.”
“We remain strongly committed to our mandate to protect the health of Nigerians. We urge the public to remain aware of the risks of COVID-19 and to adhere to the preventive measures advised by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the Federal Ministry of Health,” it stated