Scientists from Nigeria have developed a faster and cheaper Covid-19 test kit that will increase testing being conducted in an area that has faced a shortage of testing equipment and a lack of testing for a massive population, according to health authorities in the country.
The new test is cheaper than other PCR tests, which are the most common type of test, and can give results in less than 40 minutes, according to the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research (NIMR)
The institute said the diagnostic kit will cost less than $ 25, and samples can be analyzed using a mobile device that low-skilled workers can operate with minimal training.
NIMR Director Babatunde Salako told that the machine they use is not the common device used for PCR testing.
Although Salako notes that the NIMR is only slightly slower than the PCR test, it is "good enough at the moment."
Nigeria currently imports PCR kits from China and has faced challenges in obtaining enough test kits to test most of its 200 million people.
Salako, who has headed the institute since 2016, believes that the device is important for its variety of testing methods, and when used, "all people in villages and remote areas can be tested by transporting the device to those villages."
Nigeria has the largest population in Africa and has only tested about 500,000 people, according to figures released by local health authorities.
The "PCR" test is the most common and accurate diagnostic test to determine if a person is currently infected with the Coronavirus.
However, the tests require special supplies, expensive tools and the expertise of trained laboratory technicians, which has resulted in a global testing shortage and gap.
Although testing in Nigeria is free in state-owned laboratories, there are few such facilities, and they are only found in major cities.
Sometimes, health officials have to transport samples to other states for confirmation of results due to a shortage of tests.
Salako assured that the test kits will be mass-produced once they are verified by the regulatory authorities, i.e. the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and the Medical Laboratory Science Board in Nigeria. "We do not expect the verification process to take a long time," he added.
The only challenge they face is the need to produce more samples for these test kits, and to acquire new devices that are "essential" to their work. "Once this is done, we can mass-produce with government support, and serve markets across Africa," Salako said.
In a separate announcement this week, the World Health Organization indicated that it had finalized plans to supply 120 million "inexpensive" high-quality test kits to low- and middle-income countries, including African countries.
The organization said rapid diagnostic antigen tests will sell for under $ 5
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