The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has reviewed and released new national case definitions for Covid-19 (Coronavirus), explaining that the reagents to test for the virus are currently inadequate in the country and scarce globally.
Some Nigerians had at the weekend expressed their frustration that they could not get tested when they visited Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) Laboratory in Abuja, despite fitting into the case definition of suspected Coronavirus case.
Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director General, NCDC, who announced the release of a new case definition Monday on national television, said the centre will be much more stricter and will test only those who need to be tested.
Those who can be tested now are only; returning travellers with fever, cough or difficulty breathing, contacts of confirmed cases with these symptoms and those with fever & respiratory symptoms in areas of moderate-high prevalence, NCDC said in its Twitter handle Monday.
NCDC also clarified that there is no validated rapid diagnostic test kit for Coronavirus.
Osagie Ehanire, minister of health had earlier informed that government will carry out targeted tests. He said reagents are currently inadequate in the country, therefore, NCDC will not carry out blank testing so no need for Nigerians to troop to Laboratories seeking to be tested.
“Not all Nigerians are at risk, except those in close contact with people who have travelled or from high burden countries,” he said.
Ehanire said the new measure is economical, more focused and will have a higher yield rather than “wasting resources and reagents.”
The minister noted that president Muhammadu Buhari’s lockdown order is timely as it will allow government carryout an intensive contact tracing. Ehanire noted that Lagos is currently tracing about 5,000 contacts.
Godsgift Onyedinefu
