MDA conducts over 1m. coronavirus tests since pandemic begins
1,053,864 tests were conducted since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
By SARAH CHEMLAMagen David Adom, or MDA.(photo credit: FLICKR)
Magen David Adom (MDA) announced on Thursday they have conducted 1,053,864 tests since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak at the end of February.The tests, performed over the past months, took place in several locations, from private homes, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes as part of the “Protecting Fathers and Mothers” project, MDA drive-thru testing stations to educational institutions.As of now, 287,751 tests were conducted at the several MDA drive-thru testing stations, based in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem and Beersheba while 218,939 tests were taken privately at people's homes and publicly in schools and another 3,180 tests were done on travelers who returned to Israel from abroad at a special stand in Ben-Gurion Airport.Last week, 103,876 people were tested by MDA, which represents the highest number of samples in one week.Some 3,000 serological tests have also been taken by MDA’s teams and helped to evacuate thousands of positively tested patients from their homes for hospitalization.Moreover, besides taking hundreds of thousands of tests, MDA blood services continue to collect plasma from those who have recovered from the coronavirus for the treatment of severely ill patients and the production of a passive vaccine. Until today, 6,363 plasma units were donated by the ones who recovered from coronavirus.Considering the rise in coronavirus cases – and with the numbers continuing to climb – many Israelis are looking to MDA for answers during this time of uncertainty.MDA's 101 Emergency Call Centers show a significant increase in citizen inquiries, which reached 16,237 calls a day this week, an increase of about 270% compared to a routine day.Zachary Keyser contributed to this report.
