The Health Ministry on Wednesday said that it has enlisted the help of a MyHeritage genetic testing facility in its efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus in Israel.
The testing lab, located in the Tel Aviv suburb of Petah Tikva, has been converted into a so-called "Cronavirus Lab" earlier this year. Chinese genetics giant BGI is set to collaborate on the project, with testing set to begin sometime in the next week.
The lab said it will be able to conduct approximately 10,000 tests per day.
"Today we learned that the Health Ministry has approved the use of Coronavirus Lab we have established, after successfully completing the confirmation tests," Gilad Yefet, founder and CEO of MyHeritage, said in a statement.
"Today the lab received first samples from the field and we are very happy to finally help fight the coronavirus... We have recruited an excellent team of staff into the lab and I believe in them, and our ability to meet the challenge," he added.
MyHeritage is an online genealogy platform with web, mobile, and software products and services that was first developed and popularized in 2003.
The announcement comes as fears of a second coronavirus wave have begun to grip Israel's health system, with nearly 300 cases being diagnosed on Wednesday alone.