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Israel is set to conduct 100,000 serological tests for COVID-19 in an effort to determine the degree of infection in the population.
Speaking to the New York Times in an interview published on Wednesday, Director General of the Health Ministry Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov said the testing will take place in the coming weeks.
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Israelis on a crowded Tel Aviv bus after coronavirus restrictions were lifted
(Photo: Asaf Zagrizek)
The results, he noted, would be significant to determine if Israelis are close to developing herd immunity or should be preparing for a resurgence of the virus.
If that occurs, Israel must take steps to prepare for next winter in order to avoid the inundations of hospitals, the top official added.
“This is the most important mission: Get ready for the next wave, especially a wave during wintertime,” Bar-Siman-Tov told the New York times, “Luckily, the Covid-19 caught us post-influenza season. But we can’t assume that there’s not going to be a next wave or that it will be during summertime.”
Bar-Siman-Tov said he believes that the demand for testing will be greater than the number of available tests because many Israelis would want to participate in the survey.
Serological tests work on blood samples, rather than nasal swabs. The test can determine if one is either currently carrying the disease, or if he was previously exposed by developing antibodies for the virus.