Al Ain authorities direct Covid-19 patients and close contact cases to new centre

Anyone who tests positive or has had contact with a positive case can visit in person for medical advice

Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, visited the field hospitals in the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre last year. Wam

Abu Dhabi emirate residents living Al Ain who have Covid-19, or have come into contact with someone infected, must now report to Al Ain Convention Centre.

Services previously located in the Prime Assessment Centre at Al Ain Hospital have been moved to this venue, as of January 4, 2022, and will no longer be offered at the hospital.

Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), the UAE’s largest healthcare network, announced the move in a statement on Tuesday.

Anyone who has tested positive for the virus is instructed to enter through Gate 7, and others who think they have come into contact with a positive case are to enter though Gate 3.

The Covid-19 Prime Assessment Centre at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Victor Besa/The National

The assessment centres, which originally opened in June 2020, are exclusively for people who test positive for Covid-19, or believe they have come into contact with a positive case. Patients report to the centre, where they are told what to do next.

This could include being sent to hospital, or being asked to isolate at home, if the patient shows no symptoms or has only a mild case.

Medical staff and volunteers at the centres are multilingual to help the UAE's diverse population.

Coronavirus patients have their initial check at these centres, where their vital signs are recorded, an electrocardiogram is conducted and their blood is drawn.

The centres open between 8am and 8pm every day. The one at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre can deal with up to 2,000 patients each day, while 1,500 people can visit the Al Ain centre.

Safety measures are in place to ensure staff and volunteers do not become infected.

These include physical-distancing markers on the floor, mandatory personal protection equipment and screen barriers.

The centres have several entries and separate halls to be used by patients, depending on the severity of their illness.