Takoradi Veterinary Laboratory ready to run COVID-19 test

• Posted on May 5, 2020May 5, 2020
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

At long last the Takoradi Veterinary Service Department is ready to run COVID-19 test. The much anticipated Bio-Safety Level 2 and 3 laboratory, have received the full compliment of logistics after some minor repair works were completed last week.

The lab was funded by the Canadian government, and was built to enhance laboratory work of the Veterinary Service.

Head of the Laboratory, Dr. Theo Odoom in a briefing with media after an inspection visit by the Western Regional Minister, Dr. Okyere-Darko Mensah, said they are ready to begin testing of samples of suspected infected persons today.

“As I speak, we are ready to start testing today. The staff have been trained already, all the logistics have been provided by Noguchi. Prof. Amporful has led this activity to makes sure that this thing is working today” he noted.

He however emphasized that the about 300 samples will be tested ‘for starts’, and later scale up to its optimum capacity of a 1000.

“Currently, we going to start testing about 300 samples, and with time we will increase the number. We don’t want to promise big things but with 300, within our capacity we going to start” Dr. Odoom mentioned.

In support of their operation, the Western Region House of Chiefs this morning made a cheque donation of GHC 40,000.00 to management of the facility.

The operationalisation of the lab is expected to bring some relief to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Accra, as samples will no longer be sent there. In a more probable event, it can receive and run test on samples taken from other parts of the region, including the Western North and Central Regions, and there by enhancing the testing of COVID 19 in the country.

Author: Abraham Mensah