Related: Costly rapid PCR tests on offer amid demand and delayed results
Clinics in Abu Dhabi and Dubai said waiting times for PCR results should ease in the coming days.
Currently results could take up to three days, more than 48 hours longer than normal.
The delay was because of increased demand fuelled by more travel, intensified testing requirements and a rising number of cases.
Demand remains high as employers ask people to get tested before returning to offices. On Wednesday, as the government reported 2,708 new cases, it said 469,028 were tested in just 24 hours.
The situation has totally stabilised as the labs have now increased their capacity and there is also a slight drop in the test requests
Dr Naveen Kumar Tiwari,
NMC Royal Hospital
“There was a short-term, acute increase in test loads on the 2nd and 3rd as many tourists were returning after the New Year celebration and because of school opening on the 3rd,” said Dr Naveen Kumar Tiwari, specialist in clinical pathology at NMC Royal Hospital, Dubai Investments Park.
“Thereafter, the situation has totally stabilised as the labs have now increased their capacity and there is also a slight drop in the test requests.
“Presently, the requirement of the test has been reduced by 15-20 per cent and reporting has changed back again to 12-24 hours.”
Across Burjeel's network, customers would normally receive their results in less than a day, but the company assures them the increased wait is still less than two days.
The situation has led some people to use expensive home testing services that promise fast results for as much as Dh500.
“Earlier, we were able to release results even in 12 hours. However, with the current surge in testing, turnaround time has increased,” said Dr Seema Oommen, the head of Burjeel Medical City's Covid lab.
“But by increasing our capacities and by sticking to the tier system placed by the authorities, we are still able to release the results in 24 to 36 hours.
“Priority is always given to emergency, ICU cases and all patients due for surgery.”
She said she expects demand to continue at the current level for the foreseeable future.
“However, the country has always adapted rapidly to such needs, and labs are adding capacity or activating dormant capacity to bring the turnaround time down.
“Once again, even today the turnaround here is way less than in many other countries.”
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 be expected within 36 hours, while the express service, for Dh139, is taking up to 24 hours, it said.
Aster DM Healthcare said it was not affected by the recent surge in demand and has witnessed no change to its processing times, with results provided in 24 hours.
The UAE has among the best capacity for testing per population, globally.
According to Our World in Data, the country is the world’s fourth top tester, with almost 11,000 PCR tests performed for every 1,000 people.
But increased demand has stretched labs in recent days.
“More and more people are taking up screening due to the strict adherence to entry rules in all public places as mandated by the authorities,” Dr Oommen said.
“Also, many residents have returned after holidays and of course, there is an increase in tourists, who feel safe visiting UAE due to its strict preventive protocols.”
Many of the UAE’s tests take place in Abu Dhabi, where residents are required to check regularly to maintain their green pass status to visit many public areas.
In December, authorities in the capital increased requirements for testing after the emergence of Omicron, further adding to demand.
The validity of the green pass was reduced from 30 days to 14, meaning people have to record a negative PCR result every 14 days to maintain their green status.
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
