LASER COVID-19 TESTING CENTRE A HIT WITH DUBAI-ABU DHABI COMMUTERS
▶ Between 5,000 and 6,000 people a day pay Dh50 for a test, the results of which are available in minutes
Frontline staff at an instant Covid-19 testing centre on the border between Dubai and Abu Dhabi are screening at least 6,000 people a day, after an expansion to help cope with demand.
The Ghantoot site opened three weeks ago and was met with large crowds of commuters lining up to take the test.
Tailbacks stretched for more than 20 kilometres, so officials put in place an online booking system.
Almost a month on, the centre is testing between 5,000 and 6,000 people a day.
“That number went up closer to 10,000 during Eid Al Adha,” said Dr Iqra Rafiq, a medic for Tamouh Healthcare, which operates the centre. “It was a crazy time.”
The test costs Dh50 and is available at the Last Exit on Sheikh Zayed Road before the Ghantoot checkpoint.
The results of the diffractive phase interferometry test, or DPI, are received in minutes by text message.
“The test is very quick [compared with] the PCR test, which can take time to get a result,” Dr Rafiq said. “It is a sensitive test, so it can pick up minor infections, not just coronavirus.
“The test could pick up a common cold, for example, but it has a 90 per cent sensitivity to picking up Covid-19.”
The centre was set up to allow commuters who require a negative Covid-19 test to enter Abu Dhabi.
Those with negative results can continue their journey to the capital.
But people with a positive result must take a nasal swab test to rule out Covid-19.
Although the test is convenient for people who are travelling to Abu Dhabi from Dubai, it is not a recognised test for travel outside of the country.
Airline passengers must still take the more commonly used nasal swab test and produce a negative result to be allowed on to flights out of the Emirates.
“People who are negative can move across the border very quickly, so it has been very beneficial to those working in Abu Dhabi,” Dr Rafiq said.
“If anyone has symptoms they should go to the nearest hospital rather than come here to be tested because it is not a coronavirus treatment facility.”
Upon entering the vast screening tent – the size of two football fields – visitors can join one of 12 queues after passing the now-standard thermal imaging camera. A temperature higher than 37°C could be an early symptom of Covid-19.
Administrators quickly attend to each visitor, processing Emirates IDs and taking a card payment.
Passports and cash are not accepted.
After a short wait, visitors are directed to one of 53 screening tables where a blood sample is taken from a finger prick.
That sample is placed inside a glass slide and inserted into a DPI machine where lasers search for signs of the virus.
A text message is then sent to notify the visitor if they can proceed with their journey or if they need to visit a second testing centre to complete a nasal swab test.
Laser tests are only available to those over the age of 10 and cannot be done on consecutive days.
“If you have booked an appointment online, it is a simple process,” said Salem Al Mansoori, a Tamouh Healthcare supervisor who processes new arrivals at the centre.
“We recommend everyone gets an appointment in advance as there is a lot of demand.”