Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of Nigeria Centre for
Disease Control (NCDC), says about 22,000 persons have been tested for COVID-19
in Nigeria.
As of Wednesday evening, the country recorded 3,145
confirmed cases of the disease, out of which 534 patients have been discharged,
while 103 persons have died.
Speaking at the presidential task force briefing on COVID-19
in Abuja on Thursday, the NCDC boss said the centre’s figures shared with the
public only provides information on those tested and not the numbers of tests
conducted.
He said patients who tested positive for the virus undergo
series of tests which are not counted and updated into the system.
“The data shared is on people tested not on tests done. The
data we share when we say we have done about 22,000 tested, those are on people
tested; we don’t include all the series of tests,” he said.
“Every individual that is positive will have to be tested
every three, four or five days. And some would have stayed in the hospital for
about four weeks, so all those are tests being done as well and all of that are
on the lab.
“So the numbers are really not fully representing the works
being done in the labs across the country. We are not reflecting those numbers
in the numbers we share everyday.”
Ihekweazu said 21 laboratories are now operational to boost
COVID-19 testing capacity in the country.
He said a new laboratory would soon be ready for use in Port
Harcourt, capital of Rivers, to increase the number to 22.
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