The Federal Government on Thursday announced the development of a locally-made test kit for Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The test kit identified as RNA-Swift was developed locally, it had undergone validation as a fitting test kit for the identification of SARS-CoV-2; the causative agent for COVID-19.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, during a press conference in Abuja revealed that the development of the test kit was borne out of the need to ramp up Nigeria’s testing capacity.
Also, he noted that this would go a long way in boosting efforts to rein in the COVID-19 scourge in Nigeria.
The Minister disclosed that the kit would be made available at an affordable price.
As at today, Friday, July 10, 2020, only 171,931 samples have been tested so far.
“The RNA-Swift has amazing precision for the detection of SARS-COV-2. It will be commercially available at a price that places it ahead of competitors in terms of sensitivity and affordability.”