COVID-19: Newly established testing centre kicks-off in Kano

- A new COVID-19 test centre has been activated at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano

- The centre is expected to serve the northwest zone of the country as Nigeria continues to battle coronavirus

- Nigeria has been testing about 1,000 suspected cases of coronavirus per day

The Nigeria Center for Disease Control, NCDC, has activated a COVID-19 test centre at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, AKTH, Kano.

The centre is expected to serve the northwest zone of the country as Nigeria continues to battle coronavirus.

While inspecting the facility, the deputy governor of Kano, Nasiru Gawuna said henceforth samples of suspected cases will no longer be taken to Abuja but tested in the state.

He said neighbouring states can bring their samples for tests at the centre for timely intervention.

He also commended the federal government and the state governor, Dr Umar Ganduje for their unrelenting effort towards tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The chief medical director of AKTH, Professor Abdulrahaman Sheshe said the centre will be used to contain the spread of the disease, because once cases are tested, positive victims will be removed from the society, thereby decreasing the number of people that will contract the disease from the patients.

Recall that the Director-General (DG) of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, on Tuesday, March 31 revealed that Nigeria has been testing about 500 suspected cases of coronavirus per day.

Dr Ihekweazu made the disclosure while answering questions from journalists at a press briefing in Abuja.

His words: “As at last week, we have the capacity to test about 500 people per day. By the end of this week, we will be testing 1,000, by next week we plan to take it to about 1,500 per day.

“This will be done by increasing the number of labs that we have and also improving the throughput of these labs.

“We are managing and improving the supply side. At the same time, we need to reduce the demand side to those that really need it.

“The quick solution is not a new lab but increasing the throughput of our existing labs.”

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Meanwhile, minister of state for health, Dr Olurunnimbe Mamora, on Monday, March 30 disclosed that it costs the Nigerian government about N10,000 to conduct a COVID-19 test on one individual.

Mamora, however, stated that the government was not worried about the cost but the accuracy of the result.

His words: “I don’t have the exact figure but I was meant to understand that it costs about N10,000 or thereabout to run the test. I am not too sure about the figure.

“But even if at N10,000, you can just imagine the huge financial involvement given the number of people that want to be tested.”

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