The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) set off the newly inaugurated Bayelsa State Molecular Laboratory, Research and Diagnostic Centre as a coronavirus testing laboratory in the country.
The facility, established by Governor Douye Diri on Tuesday, brought the number of NCDC certified laboratories in the country to 66 in 34 states.
The NCDC, in a letter by the Laboratory Network Advisor, Celestina Obiekea, and addressed to the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Health, stated that the laboratory had fulfilled the necessary requirements for a molecular laboratory to test for Covid-19 as well as met all successful validations and optimisations.
The letter further explained that the state would be responsible for procurement of consumables, equipment and other materials while the NCDC would support it with reagents and test-kits.
While inducting the centre, Diri expressed delight at the quality of medical equipment in the laboratory.
He said the setting up of the centre marked the end of the demanding task of getting sample results from Edo and Rivers states.
