COVID-19: Korean Embassy Donates 30,000 PCR Kits to Nigeria

By Chioma Iruke

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nigeria on Thursday donated 30,000 made-in-Korea diagnostic kits to the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19(PTF).

South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria H.E Lee In-tae while speaking at the Handover Ceremony of COVID-19 PCR test kits to the Government of Nigeria, commended the Nigerian Government for its hard efforts and great success in the fight against COVID-19 as well as reaffirmed Korea’s strong solidarity with the people of Nigeria.

The Ambassador noted that, the kit’s test time has been reduced down to 4 hours by using a real-time gene amplification test (Real Time RT-PCR) method that amplifies the virus after collecting a sample of a patient, replicating a large amount of genes.

The accuracy of the result reaches 80-85%. Considering that the accuracy of diagnostic kits made in China or Europe is less than 80%, this means a more accurate diagnosis in a short time.
While reinstating the country’s commitment to Nigeria, In-tae further stated that, “When the pandemic first hit Nigeria and you reached out to the world to seek support, Korea was there to hold your hand. The Korean Government supported your efforts to battle the disease by providing Korean facial masks and PPEs both to the Federal and State Governments. We also provided palliatives for local communities.
“Many Korean companies also joined our efforts to assist Nigeria. Samsung Heavy Industries donated 5,000 PCR test kits to the Federal Government. Hyundai Motors donated PPEs worth 35 million Naira to the Government of Lagos State.
“I am proud to deliver another 30,000 PCR test kits to Nigeria. They say “a friend in need is a friend indeed.” Nigeria can always count on us in times of need, because we are true friends.” The ambassador thus asked that Nigerians remain hopeful as the birth of the Covid-19 vaccine was a hope that the world would overcome the pandemic.