COVID-19 in UAE: Seha to boost coronavirus testing capacity by 7,000 per day
Increase means free testing will be provided to slew of different groups in UAE
Under directives from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) will boost its coronavirus testing capacity by 7,000 per day, it announced in the early hours of Thursday.
The increased testing was detailed in a series of tweets from Abu Dhabi Media Office, and means Seha will have capacity for more than 115,000 tests per week, an increase of 72 per cent.
The increase means free COVID-19 screening will be provided to:
- UAE citizens
- Domestic workers
- People of determination
- Pregnant women
- Senior residents aged 50 or over
- People with chronic disease or COVID-19 symptoms
- People who have come into contact with coronavirus
Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) will be opening five new drive-through centres in Abu Dhabi at Al Shamkha, Al Madina and Corniche; Al Masoudi and Al Dhaher in Al Ain City; and 1 in Dubai’s City Walk.
AHS will also increase the operating hours of drive-through centres in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain from five days a week to six. Al Dhafra Hospitals, a Seha healthcare facility, has also launched three new centres in Silaa, Mirfa and Liwa.
With the addition of the new centres and the increased operating hours, Seha will be able to accommodate over 7,000 additional tests daily, bringing the weekly total testing capacity to more than 115,000.