Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, is optimistic that more COVID-19 test laboratories will be established in all the states in the country.
Senator Mamora disclosed this on Tuesday when he appeared on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily.
He explained that before the beginning of the movement restriction, which was directed by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 29, 2020, there were only 15 laboratories but now it has expanded to 27.
“Before the lockdown, we had just 15 laboratories but as at now, we have 27 and I know that before we end this additional 2 weeks lockdown, we would have established test laboratories in every state in the country which will go a long way”.
He noted that the additional laboratories will help in detecting and increasing the testing abilities.
On the issue of the time frame for test confirmation, Sen. Mamora noted that the time frame for confirming the status of a patient is between 48 hours to 72 hours.
The minister, however, said the government is working to reduce the turnaround as it expands its capacity for testing of the disease.
As at today, Nigeria has recorded 216 new cases of the novel coronavirus.
In a tweet via its official handle, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday said 74 new cases were found in Lagos, 33 in Katsina, 19 in Oyo, and 17 in Kano.
Other states with new cases include Edo with 13, Zamfara 10, the trio of Ogun, Gombe and Borno with eight each, the duo of Bauchi and Kwara with seven each, the FCT with four, Kaduna and Enugu with three each and Rivers state with two new cases.
