Nigeria has introduced the use of the COBAS system at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) National Reference Laboratory for Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the NCDC made this known on Tuesday, stressing that using this new system, approximately 960 samples can be tested in 8 hours.
According to the NCDC, this begins the second prong of the national strategy to integrate laboratory systems and increase testing capacity for COVID-19 in the country, leveraging capacity within the high-throughput HIV Molecular Testing Laboratories in the country.
“There are about 37 molecular laboratory equipment platforms currently deployed and in use within the PEPFAR-supported National PCR Network for HIV viral load and Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) testing.
“These include 6 Mega-PCR labs with very-high throughput machines which can be leveraged to expand COVID-19 testing. In response to global demand for rapid testing, Roche and Abbot technologies have developed and validated the SARS-CoV2 assay on the Corbas 6800/8800 and the M2000 platforms respectively.
“These kits have received the U.S. Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the use of these platforms for SARS COV2 testing’. These Mega-PCR laboratories have a combined minimum testing capacity of 7,000 tests per day, about half of which will be dedicated to COVID-19 testing.
“This will enable the bulk testing of COVID-19 suspected cases to be implemented in Abuja and Lagos using Roche Cobas 6800/8800; as well as Benue, Akwa Ibom and Anambra, using Abbott M2000.
“Implementation of the test will increase the national output by at least additional 3500 tests per day. It is proposed that one instrument in each of the laboratories will be dedicated exclusively to COVID-19 testing,” NCDC stated in a release.