Prof. Babatunde Salako, Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR)

Prof. Babatunde Salako, the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), on Friday, in Lagos, said the institute had carried out over 10,000 COVID-19 free tests in the country.

Salako said that the institute, in collaboration with Lifebank, started a free COVID-19 drive through testing within the institute in March 2020.

According to him, the institute, saddled with the responsibility of conducting research on public health emergencies, was involved chiefly in the control of the pandemic in testing and research capacity.

“Since the establishment of NIMR’s COVOD-19 testing centre, in collaboration with Lifebank, we have tested over 10,000 Nigerians for free, without collecting any Kobo from anyone.

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“We have been involved in two activities in the control of the virus in the country, which are testing and research, especially in the area of diagnostics.

“Our researchers have come up with COVID-19 diagnostic tools to help increase our testing capacity,” he said.

NIMR was established in 1977, to conduct research into diseases of public health importance and develop structures for the dissemination of research findings.