As controversy trails Covid-19 testing in Nigeria, the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced that Covid-19 tests conducted in facilities within the NCDC molecular lab network are FREE of charge. NCDC listed 61 facilities across the country where Covid-19 testing is free of cost.
NCDC disclosed this in a tweet via its official Twitter handle. The clarification follows a protest in Ogun State over the state government request of N25,000 COVID-19 test fee for students returning back to school.
Testing is crucial in the fight against Coronavirus, as it allows for early detection and initiation of contract tracing and treatment. Although NCDC is improving its Covid-19 testing capacity, the number of tests done in Nigeria is still very limited compared to other countries including South Africa.
United States does the most number of testing globally, with over 60 million tests conducted and at a current rate of over 825,000 tests per day.
According to NCDC, as at 2 August 2020, total of 286,091 tests have been conducted in Nigeria since the outbreak began, 43,841 cases have been confirmed with 20,308 recoveries and 888 deaths.
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The tweet read “Scale-up of testing is key in assessing the Covid-19 situation in Nigeria and coordinating response across the country. Kindly note that Covid-19 tests conducted in facilities within the NCDC molecular lab network are FREE of charge.”
The 61 facilities of the NCDC is located across 31 states including FCT. The 61 facilities are listed below
| LABORATORIES | STATE |
| State Specialist Hospital, Amachara lab | Abia |
| State Specialist Hospital , Amachara | |
| Federal Medical Centre Yola | Adamawa |
| Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Akwa Ibom State | Akwa-Ibom |
| Accunalysis medical diagnostics | Anambra |
| COOUTH Awka Abbott lab | |
| Bauchi state Reference Laboratory | Bauchi |
| Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital | |
| 161 AHM lab | Benue |
| University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital | Borno |
| Lawrence Henshaw Memo Calabar | Cross Rivers |
| UCTH Lab | |
| Delta Mobile Laboratory | Delta |
| Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital | Ebonyi |
| Irua Specialist Teaching Hospital | Edo |
| University of Benin Teaching Hospital | |
| Edo Specialist Hospital, Benin | |
| Ekiti – 54gene | Ekiti |
| University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital lab | Enugu |
| University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Molecular Virology Laboratory | |
| Everight diagnostics and Laboratory services Ltd | Imo |
| Federal Medical Centre Owerri lab | |
| Jigawa molecular lab | Jigawa |
| DNA laboratory | Kaduna |
| Africa Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria | |
| Mobile lab Kaduna | |
| Yusuf Dansoho Memorial Hospital lab | |
| Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital | Kano |
| 54gene Kano | |
| International Foundation Against Infectious Diseases in Nigeria (IFAIN) | |
| EHAlab Kano | |
| Bayero University Kano | |
| Sahel Centre for Molecular Diagnostics and Research, Katsina | Katsina |
| State Specialist Hospital Kogi lab | Kogi |
| Sobi Specialist Hospital | Kwara |
| Virology Lagos University Teaching Hospital | Lagos |
| Nigeria Institute for Medical Research | |
| Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory | |
| 54gene Lagos | |
| NCDC Central Public Health Labortaory | |
| Zankli lab | Nasarawa |
| 54gene Ogun | Ogun |
| Afriglobal Medicare Laboratory | |
| FMC Owo | Ondo |
| African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases | Osun |
| University College Hospital Virology department laboratory | Oyo |
| Biorepository and clinical virology lab, University College Hospital | |
| National Veterinary Research Institute | Plateau |
| Jos University Teaching Hospital lab | |
| University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital | Rivers |
| Rivers State University Teaching Hospital Satallite Molecular Laboratory | |
| SPDC (shell) lab | |
| Indorama Company Molecular Laboratory | |
| Centre for Advanced Medical Research and Training, Usmanu Danfodio University | Sokoto |
| NCDC National Reference Laboratory | FCT |
| Defense Reference Laboratory | |
| FCT – 54gene | |
| State House Annex Clinic lab (SHAC) | |
| University of Abuja, Gwagwalada Laboratory | |
| United Nations IOM Lab | |
| Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Gombe State Specialist Hospital | Gombe |
Written by;
Ifunanya Ikueze
