UAE increases coronavirus testing rate to 1 in 10 people

Dubai: The United Arab Emirates increased the coronavirus testing rate to about one in ten people, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The Gulf country, which has opened government drive-thru test centers across the country, is focused on making testing widely available to all those who need it, the spokesperson said. The UAE’s state news agency WAM said the country built three additional field hospitals with a total 3,400 bed capacity.

The UAE has tested close to one million people so far, according to a tweet on the UAE Mission to the UN official account.

“Testing has and continues to be at the core of our strategy to tackle this pandemic at home and around the world - it helps us better understand the extent to which the virus has spread,” the tweet said.

The UAE prioritizes testing people showing symptoms or those exposed to others with the virus, senior citizens, people with underlying health conditions and pregnant women. Others can take the test for a fee.

The country has a population of about 9 million and has reported 7,755 virus cases.