Local Labs Can Only Conduct COVID-19 Tests If ..FG

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has ruled that private laboratories which desire to conduct COVID-19 tests must meet certain guidelines.

The Director-General of the Centre, Chikwe Ihekweazu, made this known during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday.

He howeve did not bare the conditionaliteis, saying instead that these could be accessed via the NCDC’s website.beginning from Monday.

 “We have now come up with guidelines for integrating the private sector into COVID-19 testing.

“So, every private sector lab that wants to join can pick up the COVID-19 testing guidelines that we will upload on our website tonight, look through it and define what they need to do and we will support them through that process.

“This is one bit of the changes we continue to make in our response to the pandemic.”

His assertions are coming on the heels of the Federal Government’s directive for the importation of herbal remedies from Madagascar, according to the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha.

“Mr President has given instructions for the airlifting of Nigeria’s allocation of the Madagascar COVID-19 Syrup; also given clear instructions that it must be subjected to the standard validation process for pharmaceuticals; there will be no exceptions for this”, he said earlier today.

“Nigeria has only one national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Where there are differing strategies is in the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions. But as far as the response is concerned, there is only one national response,” Mustapha who is also the secretary to the Federal Government explained.

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“Madagascar has made allocations to various countries, and sent them to Guinea Bissau. We‘re supposed to make arrangements to freight Nigeria’s allocation from Guinea Bissau; it‘ll be subjected to the standard validation process for pharmaceuticals”.

The issue of labs for COVID-19 tests is likely to come as big relief to a lot of Nigerians so long the remedy proves potential.

Despite the heavy human casualty thus far recorded with the pandemic, there has not been any assurances of a medical remedy in sight, putting far more fears in people.

Both developments would come as prove of commitment on the side of the Federal Government to take necessary measures towards staving off the virus from the country.