COVID-19: NCDC To Use ‘Tuberculosis Machines’ For Testing

The Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control on Friday noted that modifying GeneXpert instruments will be used in testing for Coronavirus.

The agency further stated that the machines are being used in various states, “as first-line testing for tuberculosis diagnosis.”

According to NCDC, the machines will now be adopted with specially-designed cartridges recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

NCDC added that following the new strategy in place it is working towards an additional 1,300 tests daily through this approach.

“As part of this strategy, therefore, and given that every state of the Federation including the FCT has at least 5 GeneXpert sites, at least one GeneXpert site in each state will be repurposed for COVID-19 testing, to decentralize testing to all states.”

“Each of the GeneXpert instruments in the country has 4-testing modules with a testing capacity of about 24 samples per day. There are also available in the country two mobile laboratories equipped with 2 GeneXpert instruments each. These will be deployed as needed to support COVID-19 testing surge in target states.”

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, also confirmed that the country would be ordering for over 100,000 cartridges of the GeneXpert machine through the Global Fund facility through the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM).

Follow Us On Google Journalistic Standards