Abu Dhabi to carry out intensive Covid-19 testing campaign in five areas of city

The drive is intended to curb the spread of the virus and protect public health

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Abu Dhabi announced plans on Tuesday to carry out an expanded Covid-19 testing campaign in five districts in and near the city.

Screening will be increased in Al Danah, Bani Yas, Al Shamkha, Al Shawamekh and Al Zahiyah, also known as Tourist Club.

The Abu Dhabi Crisis, Emergencies and Disasters Committee called on the public to be tested and comply with all preventive measures.

Abu Dhabi tests thousands of people each day, including about 15,000 people per day in a door-to-door testing drive.

Police and medics travel across the emirate to identify coronavirus carriers.

The teams often work at night, when more people are at home.

Medics knock on someone’s door, register each person in the home and conduct the PCR tests, which take less than two minutes.

The chief executive of Tamouh, Abdullah Al Rashdi, said the purpose of the drive was to screen as many people as possible.

Authorities hope the vaccines, isolated school closures where necessary and restrictions on capacity in malls, shops and cinemas and will reduce the number of infections further.

The UAE announced 2,022 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the country’s total number of infections to 487,697.

Four deaths and 1,731 recoveries were reported.

The health ministry conducted 266,023 tests in the past 24 hours.

Cases are hovering around 2,000 a day this month – down from close to 4,000 in January.

Authorities on Tuesday said 118,805 vaccine doses had been administered in the past 24 hours, taking the total number to 9.15 million. This represents a rate of 92.58 doses per 100 people.