Coronavirus: NCDC Conducts 48,544 Tests Nationwide

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, on Wednesday revealed that it has carried out 48,544 Coronavirus tests in the country.

The total number of test carried out in Nigeria has seen 8,344 returned positive.

The agency further revealed that the centre has 28 laboratories that have the capacity of testing for the virus across the country.

NCDC in the breakdown released noted that Lagos State which is the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria, has the highest figure of 17,907.

The second state to have carried out more test is Abuja with 6,136 while Kano State came third with 3,965.

Kogi and Cross River states have the least number of tests with one and eight respectively.

Other states and the number of tests so far carried out are Oyo (2,420); Ogun (1,958); Edo (1,434); Jigawa (1,295); Kaduna (1,222); Katsina (1,216); Gombe (1,158); Kwara (1,078) and Borno (985).

Others are Bauchi (923); Rivers (750); Sokoto (618); Osun (569); Ondo (510); Delta (502), Plateau (476); Nasarawa (401); Kebbi (368); Ebonyi (330); Imo (317); Zamfara (276) and Ekiti (275).

The remaining states are Enugu (207); Niger (179); Anambra (172); Benue (156); Akwa Ibom (151); Abia (139); Taraba (139); Adamawa (107); Bayelsa (103); and Yobe (93).

The NCDC on Wednesday launched two laboratories in Ogun and Katsina states bringing the number of laboratories with COVID-19 testing capacity nationwide to 28.

The two new laboratories are Afriglobal Medicare Lab, Ogun and Sahel Centre for Molecular Diagnostics and Research, Katsina.

Existing laboratories with COVID-19 testing capacity include the NCDC National Reference Laboratory, FCT; Defence Reference Laboratory, FCT; Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital; Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory, Lagos State; and Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo.

Others are at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos State; Virology Laboratory of University College Hospital, Oyo State; Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki; and African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Osun State.

The centre also has laboratories at the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Plateau; Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State; DNA Laboratory, Kaduna State; University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Centre for Advanced Medical Research and Training, Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, and Africa Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State.

There are also laboratories at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Bayero University Kano; 54gene mobile laboratory, Ogun; 54gene mobile laboratory, Lagos State; 54gene mobile laboratory, Kano State; Mobile laboratory, Delta State; University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Satellite Molecular Laboratory, and University of Benin Teaching Hospital.