Abu Dhabi: Three new tests have been approved in the emirate of Abu Dhabi for the diagnosis of COVID-19.
The tests, approved by health regulator, the Department of Health (DoH), can be used in urgent care centres and emergency departments. They provide faster results, and support physicians to ensure take better, more informed patient care decisions, the DoH said in a statement on its social media platforms.
Antigen test
The antigen test is conducted via nasal swab, and it is a rapid test that provides results within 20 minutes.
RT-LAMP genetic test
This is also a nasal swab test that provides results within one hour.
Saliva specimens
This test, which has already been piloted in a few schools, can be used for the diagnosis of children when the collection of a nasal swab is difficult.
Other tests
These three newly approved tests will be used in the emirate for the diagnosis of COVID-19, along with regular PCR tests and DPI tests. Both the antigen test and the RT-LAMP test provide results faster than the regular PCR test, which takes about 48 hours to yield a result.
Meanwhile, the approval of the saliva test means that it will be possible to test younger children, since the regular PCR can only be administered to children 12 years or older.
