Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, has raised an alarm over a major shortfall in Coronavirus test kits in the country.
In tweet on Sunday at 1.50pm, Ihekweazu said, “We’re desperately looking for more RNA extraction kits as we expand #COVID19 testing.”
He provided specifications of the test kits needed in the country as Product: Total viral RNA extraction kits (preferably spin column and with a lysis buffer) manufactured by Qiagen, ThermoFischer, SeeGene, Inqaba, LifeRiver etc.
Suppliers have been provided with an email address ncdclabnetwork@ncdc.gov.ng to contact NCDC to deliver the product for payment.
See tweet below:
We’re desperately looking for more RNA extraction kits as we expand #COVID19 testing
Product: Total viral RNA extraction kits (preferably spin column and with a lysis buffer)
Manufacturers: Qiagen, ThermoFischer, SeeGene, Inqaba, LifeRiver etc.
📧: ncdclabnetwork@ncdc.gov.ng
— Chikwe Ihekweazu (@Chikwe_I) April 26, 2020
In other news, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control NCDC has warned Nigerians against drinking bleach to treat COVID-19.
This advise comes days after William Bryan, acting head of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, presented the results of US government research that indicated Coronavirus appeared to weaken more quickly when exposed to sunlight and heat. The study also claimed that bleach could kill the virus in saliva or respiratory fluids within five minutes and isopropyl alcohol could kill it even more quickly.