Coronavirus: UAE’s Al Ain tests 800 people daily

Around 800 coronavirus tests are being issued daily in Al Ain’s city of al-Hili as the United Arab Emirates ramps up its efforts to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Monday.

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The center, which launched last week, is part of the UAE's rapidly expanding coronavirus testing program. The country is conducting 15,000 tests per day at its recently opened drive-thru test centers and has also established a massive testing laboratory.

The Al Ain center sees between 600 and 800 people every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Each test takes around three minutes and results are sent via SMS two to five days after, the center’s director Dr. Huda al-Faqeeh said.

The elderly, pregnant women, and people with chronic illness are exempt from fees, she added.

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However, those who do not have symptoms may be tested if they register through the local health authority or book and pay the fee online, al-Faqeeh said.

A family medicine doctor with the Ministry of Health and Prevention told Al Arabiya English earlier this week that the UAE could flatten the curve within two to three weeks if people continue to adhere to preventative measures.

The UAE has so far reported 4,521 cases and 25 fatalities.

The number of cases reported daily has so far been increasing, but the health ministry said this is partly due to the widening scope of testing in the country, which leads to more cases being identified.