A new screening facility for Covid-19 has been launched on the border between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, wherein the test results will be made available in just five minutes.
The test which costs Dh.50 is available at the last exit on the Sheikh Zayed Road before the Ghantoot checkpoint.
As per the current rule, anyone travelling to Abu Dhabi from Dubai should produce a Covid-19 negative test result as proof taken prior to their journey.
But now, however, motorists and their passengers can be screened at the border, making it easier to move between the two emirates.
A spokesperson for Abu Dhabi Media Office said “Travellers to the emirate of Abu Dhabi can be screened for Covid-19 on entry. A negative result will allow entry to Abu Dhabi, while a positive result will lead to further testing.”
Developed by QuantLase Imaging Lab, the new testing technology is part of Abu Dhabi Investment Firm, International Holdings Company. The technique is described as low-cost, user-friendly and non-invasive, which implies that mass testing can be done cheaply and efficiently.
The procedure is referred to as Diffractive Phase Interferometry (DPI), which uses lasers to identify Covid-19 infections within seconds.
Those involved in the development of this procedure say that this test has led to a “paradigm shift” in tackling the spread of coronavirus.
The officials from the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee on Tuesday said that travellers who took the test would be provided with a certificate to confirm negative result. Anyone testing positive will have to return to their residence and remain in isolation.
More such testing stations are likely to come up over the coming weeks.
According to Dr. Pramod Kumar, Lead of QuantLase Imaging Lab team of researchers, the test combines precision, speed and scale. The device is suitable for use in hospitals, and other public places including shopping malls, cinemas etc., and with some hands-on training it can be used for house-testing and monitoring too.
“We believe it will be a game-changer in tackling the spread of the coronavirus. As far as early stage detection is concerned, our DI technique is capable of detecting as soon as the blood cell gets infected,” he said.
