The Lagos state government has authorized seven private laboratories as Covid-19 testing centers, said the state Health Commissioner, Prof Akin Abayomi.

Abayomi, who spoke at a briefing in Lagos on Friday, said the decision was taken to ramp up Covid-19 testing in the state.

He noted that seven local government areas including Eti-Osa, Alimosho, Kosofe, Ikeja, Oshodi, Surulere, and Lagos Mainland have the highest number of infections in the state.

The commissioner said, “As Lagos continuously attempts to open up various aspects of its economy, it is imperative that Covid-19 tests are widely available to members of the public.

In a bid to ramp up its testing capacity, Lagos State Government has taken a strategic decision to include private laboratories in the testing of Covid-19.

“The testing facilities as we’ve established at the moment, are the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, the Lagos State Biobank, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, and the Central Public Health Laboratory in Yaba.

“We’ve also included some private facilities. They are Total Medical Services, SynLab, 54 Gene, Medbury Medical Services, Biologix Medical Services, O2 Medical Services, and Clina Lancert Laboratories. They’ve all passed their validations, they have been accredited.

“We are in the middle of the outbreak and, therefore, we still expect to see a lot more cases in the next few months.”

Abayomi advised Lagosians to observe all preventive protocols including the use of face masks, social distancing, and regular washing of hands.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control as of Thursday night, 9,482 infections have been recorded in the state including 1,475 recoveries and 126 deaths.