Dubai witnessed a new drive-through Covid-19 testing centre being launched in its Qusais area on July 10.
The new 24/7 facility, which is located at the Al Nahda Centre, is providing RT-PCR testing services for AED110 – which is cheaper compared to the normal AED135 and AED150 fee charged by other drive-thru places. Shamim Yusuf, general manager of the centre, said that the test results would be provided within 12-14 hours after sample collection.
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The new facility, which is recognised by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), was set up in the wake of the government’s efforts to increase the number of COVID-19 testing stations in the emirate, Shamsudeen bin Mohideen, chairman of the centre, told media on July 10.
The Centre comprises four bays for separate cars to drive through with four DHA registered nurses collecting samples and several other encoders hired for data collection, Yusuf said, while stating that this would be a huge relief for families seeking to get PCR tests done for travel and other purposes.
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Technicians from the lab will collect samples at the centre every two hours, said Dr Uday Sudhalker, director of SRL Diagnostics laboratory, which is the centre’s official laboratory partner. “The facility can diagnose up to 96 swabs within four to five hours and send the report to the customer via e-mail,” he added.
The reports are updated on the Al Hosn platform with a QR code and customers can use it for travel purposes as well,” he said. (AW)
