How many coronavirus tests have been conducted in Nigeria? For the first time since February, the federal government has an answer. The Nigeria Centers for Disease Control, NCDC, now say that 33,970 coronavirus tests have been conducted nationwide. These tests have found about 5,959 positive cases with 182 deaths.
Over 1,500 more recovered from the novel coronavirus in Nigeria.
These figures appeared online from the NCDC over the week-end with little fanfare.
According to immunologists most patients have at least two specimens taken. Many have up to three, because multiple specimens are required from each individual, the number of actual patients who have been tested is likely far lower.
Physicians recommend getting an upper and lower respiratory specimen to confirm the presence of the virus, meaning a swab taken from either the nose or the throat and then a specimen taken from the lungs.
And because the virus is new, labs have been doing “serial testing” in many cases, said a WHO official. That means they take multiple specimens over multiple days from a single patient to help researchers learn more about COVID-19, the illness the virus causes, and get a sense for when it’s safe for patients to leave quarantine without spreading it to other people.
After facing criticism over the slow pace of testing in Nigeria, the NCDC made it easier by opening up lab in most states of the federation.
The data shows a promising sign that testing is finally becoming more widespread in the country after a series of missteps.
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