A private drive-through coronavirus testing centre has opened in Sharjah.
The 1,393-square-metre facility can process up to 20,000 tests a day, according to its operator, NMC Healthcare.
The average time from registration to swab collection is less than five minutes.
The UAE was one of the first countries in the world to use mass testing for Covid-19 in March 2020, to restrict the pandemic.
"The population in many neighbourhoods in Sharjah is dense," said Dr Ahmed ElMansoury, consultant pulmonologist at NMC Royal Hospital, Sharjah. "[So] in order to block the chain of infection, it is important for every member of the community to practise Covid protocols.
“Undertaking regular PCR tests to help continue the fight against Covid-19 is a personal responsibility of every individual to promote the health and safety of the loved ones around them.”
The centre opened this week in a ceremony attended by NMC Healthcare’s chief executive, Michael Davis.
“As we dedicate yet another Covid-19 PCR drive-through facility to serve the ever-growing needs of the community, we remain grateful to the Sharjah Health Authority and Ministry of Health and the larger community for the trust that they have placed in us,” said Mr Davis.
The centre is open daily from 9am to 7pm.
PCR testing tent in Jafiliya – in pictures
