Abu Dhabi boosts coronavirus testing capacity

Abu Dhabi boosted its large-scale testing capacity for coronavirus after a laboratory was built and operationalized at Masdar City in just 14 days. (WAM)
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  • Laboratory built and made operational at Masdar City in just 14 days
  • Laboratory to prioritize testing within the UAE but could scale up to receive samples from neighboring regions

DUBAI: Abu Dhabi boosted its large-scale testing capacity for coronavirus after a laboratory was built and made operational at Masdar City in just 14 days.

The laboratory, set up through a partnership technology company Group 42 and the Chinese genomics firm BGI, is capable of conducting by the thousands real time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (real time RT-PCR), one of the most accurate laboratory methods for detecting, tracking and studying the coronavirus.

The laboratory will utilize BGI’s widely-approved diagnostic kits for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease

The new processing capacity will enable a rapid response by accelerating the diagnosis, identification of suspected cases, the release of recovered patients, and the screening of close contacts and high-risk groups, state news agency WAM reported.

The laboratory will prioritize testing within the UAE but could scale up to receive samples from neighboring regions.