The Director-General Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu has stated that the Akwa Ibom State Government has no reason to reject the results of coronavirus tests on five cases in the State.
Ihekweazu said the challenges brought by the killer virus were so complicated and governments at all levels need to work together rather than each other.
The NCDC boss while answering questions at the daily briefing by the Presidential Taskforce on COVID 19 said the team from the agency that was to initially carry out the test had a pressing national engagement in Abuja leaving the samples to be tested at the UI Specialist Hospital Laboratory.
He also disclosed that NCDC has mobilized 15 teams to 15 states to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, stressing that one the team is on its way to Akwa Ibom where five cases were identified on Wednesday.
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The Akwa Ibom government had earlier rejected the coronavirus test result on five confirmed cases of COVID-19 announced by the NCDC.
Dominic Ukpong, the state commissioner for health in a statement that the state government only heard of about the test results in the news adding that the immediate “reconfirmation test on the five reported cases was being demanded.”
“Owing to the irregularities observed in the testing and reporting procedure, Health Care Professionals in Akwa Ibom State have called for an immediate reconfirmation of coronavirus test on the 5 reported cases,” he stated.
According to Ukpong, NCDC was not aware of the reported result announcement adding that all the five reported cases have been contacted and “have shown no COVID-19 symptoms.”
Part of the statement read: “We observed a disturbing breach in the test and reporting procedure. Akwa Ibom State Government only heard about the test results in the news.
”The Director-General of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was not aware of the reported result announcement.”
