The emirate of Ajman is warning its government employees that they will impose pay cuts for coming into contact with a COVID-positive patient for the second time. Federal employees in Ajman will not receive paid sick leave for quarantine if they contact infected people at home or outside the workplace for the second time.
Waiting times for PCR results could shorten in the coming days, according to clinics in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Results could take up to three days right now. It is more than 48 hours longer than usual. The delay happened by increased demand, which expanded by greater travel. More stringent testing standards, and an increase in the number of cases.
Costly Rapid PCR Tests On Offer Amid Demand And Delayed Results
Employers are requesting that employees get test done before returning to work. Hence demand is still high. On Wednesday, the government announced that 469,028 people had been get test done in just 24 hours. After that the authorities revealed 2,708 new cases.
Customers should receive their findings in less than a day across Burjeel’s network. But the business promises them that the longer wait will still be less than two days. As a result of the circumstance, some people are turning to costly home testing businesses that offer quick findings for up to Dh500.
How Long Does It Take For The Results?
Some clinics continue to require longer wait-times as they adapt to increased demand, and customers at Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre’s screening sites were on Tuesday being told to expect a wait of two to three days for results. HealthHub clinics are also experiencing longer waits for results.
Normal PCR test results, which cost Dh110, should expect within 36 hours, while the express service, for Dh139, is taking up to 24 hours, it said. Aster DM Healthcare said recent surge didn’t affect in demand and has witnessed no change to its processing times, with results provided in 24 hours. The UAE has one of the best testing capacities per population in the world.
Also Read: Here’s How To Choose The Best Travel Insurance Amid Omicron Scare
Rising Cases Of Omicron Variant Has Increased The Testing Demands
According to Our World in Data, the country is the fourth best tester in the world. It has about 11,000 PCR tests per 1,000 individuals. However, in recent days, rising demand has put a strain on labs. Several of the UAE’s examinations take place in Abu Dhabi. Here people must verify their green pass status on a regular basis in order to attend many public locations.
Following the discovery of Omicron in December, officials in the capital strengthened testing standards. Further it has increased demand. The green pass’s validity has been decreased from 30 days to 14. That means that people must record a negative PCR test. To maintain the green status get the test done in every 14 days.
Interim Statements By NMC Royal Hospital, Dubai
“On the 2nd and 3rd, there was a short-term, acute spike in test loads as many visitors returned after the New Year celebrations and since school started on the 3rd,” said Dr. Naveen Kumar Tiwari, a clinical pathologist at NMC Royal Hospital in Dubai Investments Park.
“Since then, the situation has completely stabilised, as the labs have expanded their capacity and test requests have decreased slightly.”
“At this time, the test need has been lowered by 15-20%, and reporting has been reverted to 12-24 hours.”
#DidYouKnow: Close to 400,000 #Covid tests are conducted daily in the #UAE.
Here is all you need to know about Covid #PCRTests in #AbuDhabi and #Dubai: https://t.co/eTL2PqEMMe pic.twitter.com/GIXy7ZBkzi
— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) January 6, 2022