Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 yesterday marked 100 days since the country recorded its index case, during a visit to the National Reference Laboratory in Gaduwa, Abuja.
This is even as it said that the country now has 30 testing centers as against three when it recorded the index case in Lagos.
This is even as it said that the government is targeting having at least one standard infectious disease laboratory in each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal capital Territory.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of PTF, Boss Mustapha, led the team to reference laboratory being managed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Mustapha chronicled the events that have followed since the index case of COVID-19 was recorded on 27th February 2020, but announced by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, the next day.
Multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC) led by NCDC was activated at level 3 and is the highest level of response in the country for public health emergencies.
The confirmed case was managed at a designated treatment facility for COVID-19 at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba, Lagos. The NCDC deployed two rapid response teams to Lagos and Ogun states respectively on and the EOCs in the two states promptly began contact tracing and other response activities in respective states.
The SGF said that the PTF visit was in recognition of the role the apex laboratory was playing in response to the pandemic.
Mustapha said that the NCDC has continued to strengthen laboratory capacity nationwide and increasing access to testing was a major priority for Nigeria’s response to COVIID-19.
The SGF said that the virus hit the global economy and the health systems of even the most powerful countries in the world were also impacted greatly.