UAE records 284 new Covid-19 cases

Ramadan began in the UAE on Saturday with rules relaxed for worshippers at mosques

Lab staff working in the sample preparation room at Dubai Airport (DXB). All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

Close to Terminal 2, the laboratory is a dedicated centre for around-the-clock processing of RT-PCR test samples collected from passengers at DXB.

Lab staff working in Dubai Airport's in-house lab for processing Covid-19 PCR tests.

One of the world’s busiest airports now has one of the world’s biggest in-house Covid-19 testing laboratories.

The laboratory reduces waiting times for passengers arriving by making sure their PCR test results are delivered in only four to six hours.

Before the lab opened in June, the passengers’ samples were collected from the airport every 12 hours.

Now samples are collected every 30 minutes and transported to the in-house facility operated by Pure Health.

Carlo Kaabar, medical director of Mohap Laboratories, at Dubai Airport's in-house PCR lab.

After a batch of samples is received, the staff first check their integrity and verify the passengers’ details using barcodes.

Dubai Airport's in-house lab for processing Covid-19 PCR tests.

If passengers test positive, they need to undergo isolation and follow the Dubai Health Authority guidelines.

Lab staff scanning the barcode of a Covid-19 PCR sample.

The UAE reported 284 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday after 298,820 more tests were carried out.

The new cases brought the total number of infections recorded in the country since the pandemic began to 891,872.

The coronavirus death toll remains at 2,302 after officials reported there were no deaths in the 24-hour period. The last recorded death was on March 7.

Another 823 people beat the virus, taking the recovery total to 869,315.

More than 148 million PCR tests have been carried out since the start of the pandemic two years ago.

A nationwide vaccination campaign, which is central to the Emirates' coronavirus strategy, has given more than 24.5 million doses to date, with about 97.17 per cent of the population now fully vaccinated.

Ramadan started in the UAE on Saturday, with rules relaxed for worshippers at mosques.

Prayer times have returned to normal, daily mosque lessons and lectures can resume, and drinking water can be distributed to worshippers once it is bottled, the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said.

The taraweeh prayers — night prayers performed during Ramadan — are permitted in mosques again.

During the last 10 nights of Ramadan, tahajjud prayers will also be held from midnight onwards at mosques.

Copies of the Quran can now be provided in mosques again once they are sterilised. Women's prayer halls have returned to normal.