Kano govt sets up nine COVID-19 sample collection centres - Official

The Kano State Government has set up nine COVID-19 sample collection centres to enhance detection and response to the pandemic, an official has said.

Tijjani Hussaini, the Coordinator, COVID-19 Technical Response Team, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday in Kano.

Mr Hussaini said eight of the centres were set up in the Kano metropolis while one other was established in Rano Local Government Area (LGA).

“Ten more sample collection centres will soon be put in place, bringing the number to 19 in the state.

“We are also engaging voluntary mobilisers in the LGAs to enhance active case search at the grassroots.

‘The plan is to set up one sample collection centre in each of the 44 LGAs,” he said.

Mr Hussaini said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has opened three functional molecular laboratories.

He said that the Dangote Foundation and ’54gene’ donated a mobile laboratory at the Muhammadu Buhari Hospital, Giginyu.

”The laboratories have a 650 test capacity per day while plans are under way to increase the capacity to between 1, 300 and 1, 500 per day.

The coordinator added that the state government had trained health workers on Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC), to protect them against contracting the disease.

“Some of the infection recorded among health workers is linked to lack of knowledge on how to protect themselves against infections.

“We have quickly turned around the tide and the health workers in isolation discharged,” he said.

On the number of confirmed cases of the COVID-19, Hussaini said that most of the cases were recorded in the Kano metropolis while 31 LGAs recorded at least one case of the virus.

The coordinator added that state government in collaboration with development partners had scaled up campaign to create awareness on the pandemic.

NAN reports that the Kano State Ministry of Health confirmed 923 COVID-19 cases and 751 active cases.

The ministry said 134 were discharged and the state recorded 38 deaths, as of May 26.

(NAN)