By Archibong Jeremiah
- No plan to transport positive samples from one State to the other – NCDC
“The statements by the Cross River State Commissioners of Information and Orientation and Health are a misinterpretation of the Federal Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 testing strategy and efforts to protect the health of Nigerians from this disease.”
The above is a response from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to accusations made again by the Cross River State Government alleging plot to transport positive COVID-19 samples into the State.
Watch the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Asu Okang and Dr. Beta Edu as they accuse the Federal Government below.
According to NCDC in a statement in Abuja explained that, “There are 400 sites in Nigeria with GeneXpert equipment for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. However, we have prioritised the rol-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.
“These are Abia, Adamawa, Berue, Borno, Cross River, Lagos, Enugu, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Benue, and the FCT. Already, we have worked with NTBLCP and our partners to activated two GeneXpert laboratories in Kaduna and Nasarawa States. Eventually, we plar to roll out the GeneXpert testing sites for COVID-19 in every state in Nigeria.”
Read statement in full below.
As at the time of filing this report, the COVID-19 pandemic update as provided by NCDC is as seen below.
