Why Choose Mediclinic Middle East for your COVID-19 PCR Test?
Introduction to Mediclinic Middle East
Mediclinic Middle East is strongly committed to the health and safety of all our patients and employees. Throughout the pandemic, we have followed strict policies and protocols in compliance with WHO recommendations and the UAE regulating authorities’ guidelines, and continue to do so. This enables us to effectively deal with any outbreak of an infectious disease, including COVID-19.
Our doctors and nurses are extremely vigilant in detecting possible symptoms of infectious disease and should a patient be suspected of having an infection, they are treated in accordance with these protocols to minimise the risk of further cross-infection. Mediclinic Middle East is able to deal with such cases, quickly and effectively.
PCR Testing
Mediclinic has been providing COVID-19 PCR testing from our hospitals and clinics since the start of the pandemic and we have grown to become one of the largest and most trusted PCR testing providers in the UAE. Whether you require a test to confirm your symptoms, you are asymptomatic (without symptoms) but have had close contact with someone with COVID-19, or if you need to be screened for work, school or travel, our tests are the most reliable and sensitive available.
As a respected international healthcare provider our PCR tests must achieve the same quality assurance as Mediclinic’s entire network of services and we comply with the highest global standards and local guidelines.
We do not outsource our testing; your sample will be tested in one of our two Mediclinic reference laboratories in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. All of our devices are FDA and / or CE-IVD approved and both of our PCR test laboratories are ISO accredited and audited by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in Dubai and the Department of Health (DoH) in Abu Dhabi.
Sensitivity
The majority of our tests are completed using three gene technology that enables us to detect very low viral loads (>10 copies per microlitre) and helps to identify those patients with the virus more quickly following contact and with little or no symptoms. Three gene technology also allows us to suspect the variant strains that are increasing in number across the world.
This level of sensitivity is crucial for the safety of the residents of the UAE and the global community and is why we are the preferred partner to international airlines and a number of governments that insist their citizens are tested in a Mediclinic facility. These standards can only be achieved by following a meticulous process of extraction, testing using high quality thermal cyclers and authentication from a Mediclinic employed molecular geneticist and consultant pathologist. The process of extraction through to the availability and then authentication of the report takes around four -hours using the three gene gold standard approach to PCR testing. We do not ‘pool’ samples to speed this process up and as a result we do not compromise on the accuracy of the results we produce.
Turnaround
The turnaround time from sample collection in one of our consulting/treatment rooms or drive-through facilities has reduced since the start of the pandemic and we now advise patients to expect a 24-hour turnaround for their report, which will be delivered via SMS and email. The results are all pushed to government portals for record and upload on to the Al Hosn app. Receiving your test results within 24 hours is in line with internationally recognised providers, FDA guidelines and is within the 48 hour target set by the DHA.
Moving Forward
We continuously review and validate the latest testing technology, which enables Mediclinic to be responsive to changes in testing guidelines and to ensure that we can work with both the DoH and DHA in launching new testing services as the government’s strategy to the pandemic evolves into the recovery phase, following the world leading vaccination roll-out. Whilst PCR testing will remain the gold standard for diagnosing infection, we expect other types of tests to be introduced to complement PCR testing, these could include, but are not limited to:
Serological (Antibody) Testing
A blood test to determine the level of antibodies you have in your body following confirmed infection of the virus or vaccination. There are a number of serological tests that are available, however at this time,the most effective in identifying the level of protection you may have against COVID-19 is the SARS-COV2 Anti-S Antibodies test. This looks for your body’s response to the spike(s) protein which is how the COVID-19 virus attaches to the body’s cells to spread and is the specific target for a number of the vaccines.
Antigen Testing
A blood test that can quickly identify infection of the virus. This is a more ‘rapid’ test but is less sensitive so is less likely to pick up recent transmissions and is more effective on symptomatic patients. This testing is available for hospital inpatients only at the moment.
Saliva PCR Testing
This approach to collecting the sample for PCR testing is preferred for children, the elderly and those who cannot tolerate nasal or throat swabs. To date the length of extraction is longer (slowing the process down) and the level of sensitivity has been less than the traditional method of collection. Nonetheless, new technology has improved in this field and we are currently validating a number of saliva testing devices.
For more information or if you have any queries please call us on:
Dubai 800 1999
Abu Dhabi/Al Ain 800 2000