A new UAE COVID-19 screening centre can conduct 335,000 tests

Written by:
Lauren Fletcher
5th May 2020

The new centre will increase Abu Dhabi’s testing facilities by 80 per cent…

In the latest update in the UAE’s ongoing efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, a brand new testing centre has opened in Abu Dhabi, and will test up to 335,000 workers and residents in the area over the next two weeks.

It can be found in Musaffah, in the UAE capital, and has been built to further support the UAE’s National Screening Project. Stretching over 3,500 metres, the centre will increase Abu Dhabi’s testing facilities by a massive 80 per cent.

The new centre is the third to be built by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, or Seha, in Mussaffah. The others are the National Screening Centre in M42 and another in M1 at the old Mussaffah clinic. Together, they have the capacity to test 7,500 visitors every day.

#AbuDhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) leads healthcare industry efforts to test 335,000 people in #Musaffah to further support the National Screening Project, which is designed to facilitate widespread #COVID19 testing.#WamNews https://t.co/aBEKs2DoQT pic.twitter.com/Pn2YEhxWLW

— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) May 4, 2020

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Fully air-conditioned, to combat the high temperatures of the UAE summer, the centre has been designed to allow health workers to conduct tests with limited transmission risk. Staff will collect swabs from inside fully sealed cabins.

For those struggling with transport, The Department of Municipalities and Transport will be providing free public transport to and from the screening centres.

According to Emirates News Agency (WAM), the UAE has now conducted over 1,122,000 COVID-19 tests across hospitals and health centres in the UAE. There are now 14 drive-through test centres in the UAE, as per directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces.