Nigeria, like other African countries, wasnt spared from the spread of thecoronavirus pandemic.
To overcome this challenge, countries have been advised to keeptesting, treating, and isolating to reduce infections.
Nigeria has beenexpandingits capacity to test.
The countryslaboratoriescan carry out about18,000 tests per milliondaily, but this can be improved.
The country ought to be doing about 40,000-50,000 tests daily.
Nigeria successfully controlledEbolaand is applying some of the lessons learned.
But COVID-19 presents new challenges as scientists are still trying to understand the novel virus.
This novelty highlights the importance of continuous investment in science, research, and development.
Its therefore one of the few centers working on the frontline of the pandemic.
It collaborates with the second main institution, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control.
The robots were created to speed up service and help protect the lives of health workers.
To control this pandemic and prevent a future one, Nigeria needs to start investing heavily in scientific research.
But progress towards thistarget has been slow.
This wasthe firstsequenced genome of the virus from the African continent.
The center remains at the frontline of Nigerias response by carrying out a daily diagnosis of suspected COVID-19 samples.
The data have contributed significantly to the international scientific community.
One of the innovations by the center is a COVID-19self-screening tooltailored for Nigerians to assess their risk of exposure.
The screening is available in English and different languages spoken in Nigeria.
The tool has been effective in reducing panic, improving health access, and reducing response time.
It gives an overview of laboratory-confirmed cases nationwide, using data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The map is updated daily as new cases are confirmed and provides an immediate update on the outbreak.
This helps the country to identify hotspots and make evidence-based decisions and policies.
Investment in science also means investment in the future of science the next generation of scientists.
This would require investing in tertiary education, professional development, and an environment that supports mentorship.
It requires infrastructure such as laboratories, laboratory equipment, and an uninterrupted power supply to carry out experiments.
To achieve this, Nigeria needs political will coupled with commitment, partnerships, and the right leadership.
Chan School of Public Healthunder a Creative Commons license.
