Health authorities in Abu Dhabi have approved three new Covid-19 tests to be used in emergency departments and urgent care centres across the emirate.
The tests, which have been given the green light by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), include the antigen test, the RT-LAMP test and the saliva test, which are said to provide faster results.
The saliva test can be used for children in healthcare facilities if a nose swab is not possible.
The antigen test detects the antibodies that are produced by Covid-19 in the patient’s body via a nasal swab sample, which are labelled with a dye that can be measured and thus determine whether there is an infection within 20 minutes.
The RT-LAMP genetic test is distinguished by its ability to detect Covid-19 cases quickly compared to the PCR test. It is conducted through a nasal swab collection to be placed under equal-tempered conditions and will provide results within an hour.
Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, undersecretary of DoH, said: “At DoH, we have dedicated our efforts to enabling Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector to continue providing world-class quality and safe emergency services. To that end, we have approved a new set of diagnostic tests of Covid-19 that are based on global updates and the latest scientific developments in the detection of the Covid-19 virus to be used in emergency departments across the emirate.”
Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, undersecretary of DoH
The PCR test is currently being provided in 24 healthcare centres and laboratories as well as in eight drive through test centres across the emirate.
On Sunday it was revealed that there had been 179,117 coronavirus tests carried out over the past 24 hours across the UAE, with 3,579 new cases discovered. The Ministry of Health and Prevention said there had been a further nine deaths in the country “due to Covid-19 complications”.
It was also announced that 60,991 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered in the past 24 hours. The total number of doses provided up to Sunday stands at 2,487,784 with a rate of vaccine distribution of 25.15 doses per 100 people.
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