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COVID-19: Nigeria Improves Testing Capacity

Forbes

  Nigeria’s effort in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic has hit a significant height as the Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, announced on Thursday, August 20, 2020, that the country has made significant progress in its testing capacity. Nigeria can now undertake 15,000 coronavirus test daily as the West African nation seeks to clear off the virus from its territory. Mr Mustapha during the PTF briefing in Abuja urged Nigerians to ensure they go for tests to know their status and for the safety of the general public.
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“So far, our National Response has shown that Nigeria is following the science through effective case management, but need to improve our testing. Our testing infrastructure has been increased to undertake up to 15,000 tests per day, but we are currently testing between 3,000 to 6,000 daily due mainly to people still not subjecting themselves for testing. I, therefore, want to seize this opportunity to urge Nigerians to get tested. The PTF continues to analyse and rely on data to forestall any sign of upsurge and adapting the best global practices to sustain successes. That Nigeria, along with South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Algeria contributed to the recorded lowest weekly COVID-19 confirmed cases is a testament of our successes.” Boss Mustapha
Commenting further, Mustapha noted that the major challenge confronting efforts against the pandemic in the country is improving on measures aimed at its total eradication from the most populous black nation on earth. While disclosing that 20 local governments in Nigeria have become hotspots for coronavirus, Mustapha urged the Nigerian youth population to be active in the fight against the pandemic as he emphasised on the World Health Organisation’s warning on vaccine nationalism and the role of youth is spreading the virus globally.
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“The challenge, therefore, remains for us to improve on the path of driving the pandemic out of Nigeria so that we can go back to our normal lives….The latter is more germane for us as Nigerians with our over 80 percent youthful population and should give us more cause to be on our guard. It will border on extreme selfishness for our youth to believe that since they are asymptomatic carriers, they can carry on with life as they please. More so, that being asymptomatic does not guarantee immunity forever.” Mustapha
Reacting further, Boss Mustapha did not fail to commend the majority of Nigerian youth for being steady in the fight against the virus, while calling on the few that are persistent, to join the fight.
“The PTF is, however, encouraged by the fact that the majority of our youth are in the vanguard of this fight and still call on the few non-conforming ones to join. This call becomes more imperative when we realise that from an initial 10 hotspot Local Government areas in the country, we moved to 16 and now have 20 of such, indicating spread to other areas.” Mustapha
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