• Medical staff inside a Covid-19 screening centre at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters
    Medical staff inside a Covid-19 screening centre at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters
  • A healthcare worker tests a man for Covid-19 at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters
    A healthcare worker tests a man for Covid-19 at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters
  • A health worker examines a sample taken from a labourer in the Al Quoz district of Dubai. The UAE has significantly increased testing for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. AFP
    A health worker examines a sample taken from a labourer in the Al Quoz district of Dubai. The UAE has significantly increased testing for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. AFP
  • A medic takes samples from a worker at a testing centre in Al Quoz. AFP
    A medic takes samples from a worker at a testing centre in Al Quoz. AFP
  • A man wearing a protective mask has his body temperature reading taken upon arriving at the police station in Naif. AFP
    A man wearing a protective mask has his body temperature reading taken upon arriving at the police station in Naif. AFP
  • An employee wears a protective face mask and shield while collecting carts outside a Lulu hypermarket in Dubai. Bloomberg
    An employee wears a protective face mask and shield while collecting carts outside a Lulu hypermarket in Dubai. Bloomberg
  • A man, wearing a protective mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, has his temperature taken at the Ibn Battuta centre in Dubai. AFP
    A man, wearing a protective mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, has his temperature taken at the Ibn Battuta centre in Dubai. AFP
  • Frontline workers, such as medics leading the fight against Covid-19, are being recognised in the UAE. Reuters
    Frontline workers, such as medics leading the fight against Covid-19, are being recognised in the UAE. Reuters

New Delta-detecting PCR test to boost UAE Covid-19 fight


Chris Maxwell
  • English
  • Arabic

A Covid-19 screening provider has developed a new PCR test aimed at identifying the highly contagious Delta variant.

Unilabs, a leading European diagnostic services firm, is working with health authorities in the UAE, as well as countries such as the UK, France, Switzerland and Spain, to track the spread of the surging mutation.

Earlier this week, officials said the Delta strain accounted for a third of all new Covid-19 infections in the Emirates.

Delta is the name given to the variant first detected last October in India.

It prompted a devastating surge in case numbers in the country and is also responsible for more than 90 per cent of new infections in the UK, according to Public Health England.

A potentially more transmissible mutation of Delta was recently discovered in India, identified as Delta Plus.

The World Health Organisation says the mutation could prove more deadly in time.

"With the Delta variant spreading fast, and well on its way to becoming the dominant strain of Covid-19 in many parts of Europe, we put our teams to work and came up with a test that can reliably identify this variant," said Timoteo Guimarães, who runs Unilabs' Covid-19 business unit.

"We are using the same techniques we created to detect the Kent variant, and we expect to quickly track any future variants, too."

Data from Unilabs' testing efforts is being used to better understand the variant, helping health officials to put measures in place to contain it.

Unilabs offers PCR testing as well as antigen and serology tests.

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the group has performed more than 12 million Covid-19 tests around the world.

Unilabs recently signed an agreement to incorporate its global Covid-19 testing network into IATA Travel Pass app.

Reliable testing is key to easing restrictions across the globe and for international travel.

Mass public screening has been a focus for the UAE in its bid to stem the spread of the virus, alongside an extensive vaccination campaign.

More than 57 million PCR tests have been conducted in the country since the outbreak began.





Ways to control drones

Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.

"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.

New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.

It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.

The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.

The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.

Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

SPECS

Nissan 370z Nismo

Engine: 3.7-litre V6

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 363hp

Torque: 560Nm

Price: Dh184,500

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

Updated: July 01, 2021, 5:17 AM