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COVID-19: Medical Research Institute tested over 10,000 Nigerians for free, says DG
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Medical workers prepare to take oropharyngeal swabs from residents during a mass testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a park in Quezon City, suburban Manila on April 15, 2020. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
Prof. Babatunde Salako, the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), on Friday, in Lagos, said the institute had carried out over 10,000 COVID-19 free tests in the country.
Salako told the Newsmen that the institute, in collaboration with Lifebank, started a free COVID-19 drive through testing within the institute in March 2020.
The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) on Friday said two suspects have been arrested by the police for issuing fake COVID-19 test results in the name of the institute.
This was disclosed at a news conference on Friday by the Director General of the Institute, Prof. Babatunde Salako, revealing the institute’s findings on the alleged issuance of fake COVID-19 test results from NIMR.
Ripples Nigeria had reported that the Lagos State Government raised the alarm late last month, December 2020, that fake COVID-19 results were on sale in the state.
The state government also disclosed that processes were being put in place to clamp down on both buyers and sellers.
Two persons involved in the sale of covid-19 test results at the drive-through testing centre in Lagos have been arrested.
The arrest was made after the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research Conducted an in-house investigation following a report on how impatient Nigerians try to get a Covid-19 test result without showing up at the center thereby making a mockery of testing for COVID in Lagos.
TVC News had last month ran an exclusive report on how impatient Nigerians try to get a Covid-19 test result without showing up at the centre.
WATCH:
Prof. Babatunde Salako, the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), on Friday, in Lagos, said the institute had carried out over 10,000 COVID-19 free tests in the country.
Salako told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the institute, in collaboration with Lifebank, started a free COVID-19 drive through testing within the institute in March 2020.
According to him, the institute, saddled with the responsibility of conducting research on public health emergencies, was involved chiefly in the control of the pandemic in testing and research capacity. x
“Since the establishment of NIMR’s COVOD-19 testing centre, in collaboration with Lifebank, we have tested over 10,000 Nigerians for free, without collecting any Kobo from anyone.
The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) says two suspects are presently in police custody for issuing fake COVID-19 test results with the institute’s name.