Gombe State Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya says his administration has so far expended over N1bn in the management of coronavirus in the state.
Yahaya said this while commissioning a N120m molecular and diagnostic laboratory located at the State Specialist Hospital, Gombe.
He said with the commissioning of the laboratory, the state was now better prepared to fight any disease, noting that the state could now manage the COVID-19 pandemic more effectively.
He said preparation had reached an advance stage for setting up two additional laboratories with the support of Tertiary Education Fund and the North East Development Commission.
According to him, when the three laboratories become functional, the testing capacity of the state will be enhanced and the people will get the best of medical services.
The governor called on the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to do more in supporting the state, saying the state received only a Hilux van and N100m from the centre.
The chairman of the state taskforce on COVID-19, Prof. Idris Mohammed, said the commissioning of the molecular laboratory marked one of the landmark achievements of his team.
