Fast and Cheap - Nigeria develops Covid-19 Test Kit

Written by Vienna Chan

The SARS-COV-2 Isothermal Molecular Assay (SIMA) is a novel PCR technology developed by the Nigerian Institution of Medical Research (NIMR). The diagnostic test kit will cost less than $25 and samples can be analyzed within 40 minutes, using a mobile machine that can be operated by low-skilled personnel with minimal training. This enables testing to be ramped up in a place that has faced kit shortages and chronic under-testing of a massive population once the technology has been approved by regulatory bodies.

So far, Nigeria has recorded more than 59,000 cases of Covid-19 and more than 1,000 deaths as of October 2. Yet the nation has tested only about 0.5 percent of the population since March, despite having Africa's largest population.

Nigeria currently imports PCR test kits from China and has faced challenges in getting enough kits to test most of its population of 200 million. The new rapid test kit which will cost an initial $25, cheaper than the $130 PCR testing method currently in use, will be made available throughout the country following approval by a regulatory body, according to health minister, Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora.

Although the detection rate of the NIMR test kit is "a bit lower than the traditional PCR” because it will only pick up cases with high viral loads, but for the point of care, there is a need for “more testing outfits, especially one that can give results in a short time because hospitals were refusing to treat patients without Covid-19 results.”

One limitation to increasing diagnostic rate is the stigma associated with being tested positive, hence deterring people from getting tested. Another limitation is the acquisition of associated testing machines from the UK, which requires government support in order to be mass-produced and serve markets in all of Africa. With this technology, all the people in villages and remote areas can be tested locally by moving the machine to those villages.

Click below for further reading!

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