COVID-19: 197,000 tests conducted in Lagos – Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the state government had carried out a total of 197,000 COVID-19 tests since the outbreak of the pandemic in the state.

Sanwo-Olu, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday stated that 26, 182 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in the state.

He said “we are ramping up testing, we have now recently surpassed the 3,000 tests per day mark, and we will keep raising this number.

“So far, we have performed 197,000 tests in Lagos State of which 26,182 have been diagnosed positive for COVID-19. Sadly, we have lost 226 persons (May their souls rest in peace).

It is important to note that Lagos already tests far more than any other State, accounting for 25 percent of the total numbers tested nationwide.

It should be reiterated that Testing in the designated public facilities remains free; the Lagos State Government does not charge for COVID-19 Tests in its Testing Centres.

The only test centres where there is a charge are the private ones, and these are for intending travellers and also those who seek to know their status for some reason or the other. 

ALL persons who are showing symptoms and fit the case definition for the Coronavirus disease will continue to be tested free of charge in the government testing facilities. Collection of samples for testing remains freely available in our sample collection centres spread across all the Local Government Areas in the State. 

The majority of patients are electing to isolate at home, but our public isolation centres – of which the IDH in Yaba is the flagship – continue to remain open to patients. 

We are working hard to ensure that all the supplies and consumables required are constantly made available, and we encourage all persons who have tested positive and are showing symptoms to seek care in our Isolation Centres. 

Do not seek treatment for the disease in private hospitals that have not been accredited for such treatment. 

Let me also sound a note of warning to all private testing facilities that are complicit in the allegations of colluding with individuals to issue fake COVID-19 Test Results.

We have zero-tolerance for this kind of criminal conduct, and will not hesitate to prosecute anybody found culpable, in addition to shutting down the offending laboratories.