The Government of Abu Dhabi will use saliva tests for children in school in order to test children for COVID-19.
Saliva tests have been undertaken by the government in order to develop methods to test children for the virus due to the discomfort children face while taking nasal swabs.
The saliva Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (SPCR) test is considered as a reliable test and the results are produced fast and accurately in a period ranging between 6 and 12 hours from the time of sample collection.
Saliva tests for COVID-19 were conducted in the Al Rabeeh School in Abu Dhabi for students between 4 and 12 years of age, after obtaining parental consent. During this phase, 447 saliva samples were collected and the results of the collection and examination process were successfully verified.
The second phase was launched across 25 schools in December with more than 2,000 students examined so far. This phase will continue to collect samples from students in select schools across the Emirate, selected by the health authorities as per the epidemiological needs of the investigation, and in coordination with the Department of Education and Knowledge.
Dr. Omniyat Al-Hajri, Director of the Community Health Department - Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre said, "In line with the continued efforts of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre and the Department of Health to research and apply the latest scientific developments with regard to COVID-19 examinations and responding to the pandemic, and in the interest of providing easy, comfortable and reliable services, we have been using a new method for collecting testing samples since the beginning of October, which is done through saliva collection instead of a nasal swab. Our experience has shown that saliva collection is easier and more comfortable than the nasal swab for the age group between 4 and 12 years old, and the new method has been greatly welcomed by both students and parents as well as by the teaching staff who participated in supervising the students during the testing at school."