Moses Ofodeme
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is working toward increasing its capacity to test for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) to 1500 per day in the country.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director General of NCDC, gave the reassurance at the Presidential Taskforce Briefing on COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 31, in Abuja.
Ihekweazu said that the focus of NCDC efforts was to improve the number of people that could be tested.
“Last week, we had the capacity to test 500 per day; by the end of this week we will be at 1000 a day.
“By next week we are hoping to get to 1500 a day,“ he said.
Ihekweazu, however, said that Nigerians need to reduce the demand side of the testing to those who really needed it.
He noted that the more the people force themselves into being tested; the less NCDC would have the capacity to test those who really need the testing.
Ihekweazu said that these people that really need the testing would be transmitting it into the community; and more people would get infected.
According to him; by testing those that do not need it; people are blocking the system and there’s also a price to pay.