Abu Dhabi starts with a new project to determine residents’ immunity

Abu Dhabi is starting off a new study to determine the immunity of its residents to coronavirus. In this first of its kind initiative by the Department of Health (DoH), the study aims to collect the data that will be used for future studies.

In an effort to control the spread of coronavirus and diminish the effects of the pandemic, the study will be focusing on the characteristics of how the pandemic has been moulded in a pattern and will break down the focal points. This will be carried out by taking random samples from across the emirate, the study aims to learn more about Covid-19 immunity and how the virus affected people in Abu Dhabi. The results will be used to inform policies to curb the spread of the coronavirus, reports the National.

It will involve people from various regions to identify the percentage of people who are infected and also this will help determine the science behind people who are testing positive but show no symptoms of Covid.

According to the Gulf news, the project is being carried out by the DoH’s Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, in collaboration with the emirate’s public health provider, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) and the National Reference Laboratory, which is owned by Abu Dhabi Government’s Mubadala Healthcare.

The health experts have appreciated the move and said the test results are sure to work in the favour of controlling the covid spread.

“When you go back and design a return of work policy one of the first thing you do is risk assessments. If you have serology tests then it will tell you the exposure rates of people. Now you will have an educated guess when people are returning to work by identifying the workforce that could potentially be immune,” said Dr Basel Altrabulsi, chief medical officer of the National Reference Laboratory

The study started on July 19 and will reportedly end on August 16.