Abstract
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), just above 5,000 people have been tested for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) infection, as at 9th of April 2020 in Nigeria. A total of 288 confirmed cases, 51 were discharged and seven fatalities were reported. Increasing daily tests are dearly required to end the ongoing silent community transmission of the virus. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based GeneXpert for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis is now the new hope and a quick win to upscaling the testing capacity. The GeneXpert machines will help to test hundreds of samples daily and provide the results within 24 hours. Larger module of GeneXpert machine should be procured to maximize testing capacity in the major cities, while the “machine-shift” is meticulously coordinated to prevent neglecting tuberculosis testing. We urge NCDC to be transparent about COVID-19 tests data and comprehensive list of GeneXpert testing sites for COVID-19; government should consider extension of the density control measures.
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