PCR testing is a business success in the region

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A large number of kits of the PCR test has been manufactured and used across the world in general and the GCC in particular.
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  • The WHO has said the PCR test is one of the most efficient to detect a Covid-19 infection, but also costlier than other methods
  • The organization describes has said the test needs to be run at a molecular laboratory, which contributes to the higher cost

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia have been leading the charge against the spread of Covid-19, at least within their borders.

For example, the UAE said as early as November last year that 100 percent of its citizens had received at least one dose of a state-approved vaccine.

Another way of bringing down numbers has been to test for a Covid-19 infection and detect it at the earliest possible stage.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test is one of the most efficient to detect a Covid-19 infection.

The WHO, however, also acknowledges that the test is costlier than other methods of determining a Covid-19 case.

The organization describes it as “a molecular test that detects genetic material,” and hence needs to be run at a molecular laboratory, which leads to the higher cost.

However, because it is more reliable, the PCR test has been at the forefront of checking for Covid-19, whether it is within the borders or at points of entry where people from outside the country come in, like airports.

As a result, a large number of kits of this test has been manufactured and used across the world in general and the GCC in particular.

Here’s a look at how much the GCC countries have spent on the PCR test since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic:

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