The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has officially designated Kwara State as a COVID-19 pandemic test center in the country.
Chairman of the state’s medical advisory on COVID-19, Dr Femi Oladiji, announced this in a statement in Ilorin on Saturday.
He said, “the NCDC has approved the automated GeneXpert laboratory procured by the state government and stationed at the COVID-19 infectious diseases centre, Alagbado, in Ilorin which is now fully functional.”
According to Dr Oladiji, “the GeneXpert tests will let us make quicker decisions about whether to quarantine or isolate individuals who show up with or without potential symptoms related to COVID-19.”
The chairman said, “hospital management staff will also be able to make rapid decisions about the best way to use resources such as respiratory equipment.”
He revealed that the government also plans to have another COVID-19 molecular and research laboratory at the Harmony Advanced Diagnostic center in Ilorin, which will utilise reverse transcription and PCR in a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Dr. Oladiji described the development as a huge success for the people of Kwara State and a huge investment by the government.
Commending the state governor for the feat, the chairman said the NCDC certification will go a long way in the fight against the deadly Coronavirus pandemic in the state.
Just six days ago, on July 5, 2020, governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq inaugurated two new ICU Mercedes Benz ambulances to fortify the government’s effort at fighting the COVID-19 virus in the state.
The ambulances came with a full intensive care unit, (ICU), equipment such as ventilators, defibrillators, and oxygen concentrators, among others described by health officials as very key to managing high-risk patients.
