CORONAVIRUS: FIVE MILLION FARMERS IN NIGERIA TO BE TESTED USING LOCALLY MADE COVID 19 TEST KITS
The federal government announced on Thursday, July 9 that up to 5 million Farmers in Nigeria would be tested for Coronavirus using RNA-Swift- a COVID 19 test kit produced in the country.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu at a press conference in Abuja confirmed that the locally made Coronavirus test kit is efficient and has been validated by relevant authorities. “The RNA-Swift has amazing precision for the detection of SARS-COV-2 and will be commercially available at a price that places it ahead of competitors in terms of sensitivity and affordability.”
The minister disclosed that plans are in motion to produce 10 million RNA-Swift kits and half of the COVID-19 test kits would be used to test farmers and labourers.
“I want to confirm to you that the RNA-Swift product team is in consultation with the African Development Bank for the funding of an African-wide testing programme for COVID-19 and the establishment for RNA-Swift production in Nigeria,” he said.
Nigeria, a nation of over 200 million people have so far carried out only 171,931 COVID 19 tests as of July 10, 2020. From the samples tested, 30,748 Coronavirus cases have been discovered with 689 deaths.
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