The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has hinted that laboratories are having insufficient reagents for molecular diagnostic testing for coronavirus.
NCDC on Sunday said it was “desperately” looking for more Ribonucleic acid (RNA) extraction kits to expand testing.
Director-General Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu made the request via Twitter: “We’re desperately looking for more RNA extraction kits as we expand our COVID-19 testing.
“Product: Total viral RNA extraction kits (preferably spin column and with a lysis buffer). Manufacturers: Qiagen, Thermo Fischer, SeeGene, Inqaba, LifeRiver etc,” he posted on his official Twitter account.
In a follow up tweet on Monday morning, Dr Ihekweazu said many companies and persons have reached out to the NCDC.
“Very grateful to everyone who reached out to solve this challenge with us. Our support to each other, even when done quietly, will enable us pull through.
“One day, we will tell the story of this response in full. For now, we keep pushing,” he tweeted.
The NCDC has done 10,413 tests as of April 24, with about 600 tested daily.
Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) President, Dr Francis Faduyile, said if Ghana could test over 50,000 and South Africa has tested over 100,000, Nigeria ought to scale up its testing.
He told The Nation: “We have said there is a need for us to have some rapid screening kits. NMA has suggested that our pathologists should validate some of these rapid testing kits.
“Once it is validated, it should be easier for us to do tests in a much more rapid period and we can test a large number of people in a very short period.”
