FIVE-MINUTE COVID-19 TESTS TO EASE TRAVEL IN THE UAE
▶ Procedure at Dubai border costs Dh50 but is free to senior citizens and people of determination
A new Covid-19 testing facility that returns results in five minutes has been set up on the border between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The screening, which costs Dh50, is available at the last exit on Sheikh Zayed Road before the Ghantoot checkpoint.
Until now, anyone wishing to travel to Abu Dhabi from Dubai was required to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken before undertaking their journey.
Now, motorists and their passengers can be screened at the border, making it much easier to travel between the two emirates.
“What we do is take a blood sample using a lancet needle, which is the same as the one used for diabetes,” said Peter Abraam, chief strategy officer at Abu Dhabi investment business International Holdings Company.
IHC owns QuantLase Imaging Lab, the medical research operation behind the development of the technology.
“It is as quick as you walking in there, wiping your finger with an alcohol swab, then pricking your finger.
“The blood is put on a slide that goes into a machine. The results then appear within seconds. This test allows you to do mass screening and eventually helps with the logistics of managing large crowds.”
Yesterday, officials from the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee said travellers who took the test would be provided with a certificate to confirm a negative result.
They said anyone whose test produced a positive result would have to “return to their residence and avoid contact with others”. Senior citizens and the disabled can be tested free of charge.
“Travellers to the emirate of Abu Dhabi can be screened for Covid-19 on entry,” a spokesman for the Abu Dhabi Media Office said.
“A negative result will allow entry to Abu Dhabi, while a positive result will lead to further testing.”
A new screening centre that provides Covid-19 test results in five minutes was opened on the border between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the authorities said yesterday.
The test costs Dh50 and is available at the last exit on Sheikh Zayed Road before the Ghantoot checkpoint.
Until now, anyone wishing to travel from Dubai to the capital was required to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken before their journey.
Now, motorists and their passengers can be screened at the border, making travel between the two emirates easier.
“Travellers to the emirate of Abu Dhabi can be screened for Covid-19 on entry,” a spokesman for Abu Dhabi Media Office said yesterday.
“A negative result will allow entry to Abu Dhabi, while a positive result will lead to further testing.”
The new testing technology was developed by QuantLase
Imaging Lab, which is part of Abu Dhabi investment business International Holdings Company.
The technique is described as low-cost, user-friendly and non-invasive, meaning mass testing can be carried out cheaply and efficiently.
The procedure, known as diffractive phase interferometry, or DPI, uses lasers to identify infections within seconds.
Those behind its development said the test amounted to a “paradigm shift in tackling the spread of the coronavirus”.
“What we do is take a blood sample using a lancet needle, which is as the one used for diabetes,” said Peter Abraam, chief strategy and growth officer at IHC.
“The blood sample is tested using the DPI technology [and] the lasers detect if there is an abnormality in the cells specific to Covid-19.
“It is as quick as you walking in there, wiping your finger with an alcohol swab, then pricking your finger and the blood is put on a slide that goes into a machine.
“The results then appear within seconds. This test allows you to do mass screening and eventually helps with the logistics of managing large crowds.”
Yesterday, officials from the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee said travellers who took the laser test would be provided with a certificate to confirm their negative result.
Anyone found to test positive “must return to their residence and avoid contact with others” the committee officials said.
More testing stations are expected to be established in the coming weeks. Tests will be free to all senior citizens and those with disabilities.
Speaking to The National in May this year, Dr Pramod Kumar, who leads QuantLase Imaging Lab’s team of researchers, said the DPI test was able to combine precision, speed and scale.
“The device is suitable for use not only in hospitals and public places such as cinemas and shopping malls, but also, with a little hands-on training, it can be used for in-house testing and monitoring,” he said.
“We believe it will be a game-changer in tackling the spread of the coronavirus.
“As far as early-stage detection is concerned, our DPI technique is capable of detecting as soon as the blood cell gets infected.”
The test is low-cost, user-friendly and non-invasive, meaning mass testing can be carried out efficiently