Magen David Adom tested nearly 1.6m. people for coronavirus over 7 months
Out of the total of 1,571,782 tests carried out over the past seven months, 140,788 were carried out in the last week alone.
By AARON REICHMDA checking station at Ben Gurion Airport(photo credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM)
Israeli emergency response service Magen David Adom announced on Thursday that its teams have tested nearly 1,600,000 people in Israel for the coronavirus over the past seven months.Since the outbreak first hit Israel in late February, MDA paramedics have carried out tests in a number of locations throughout the country, including in private residences, hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, schools, the arrivals area of Ben-Gurion Airport and drive-thru testing facilities.Out of the total of 1,571,782 tests carried out over the past seven months, 140,788 (9%) were carried out in the last week alone.According to MDA, its teams have carried out 272,393 tests (17%) in private homes, 3,692 tests at the airport and 514,826 tests (33%) at the drive-thru centers. In addition, it has also evacuated thousands of confirmed patients for hospitalization.Despite responsibility for testing having shifted to the health insurance companies, the data shows MDA's continued role on the front lines of Israel's battle against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as its teams continue to coordinate with the Health Ministry, the health insurance services and the IDF's Home Front Command in collecting samples and carrying out tests. This is especially important, as the country endures its second total lockdown period and has seen MDA's emergency hotline number (101) experiencing a four-fold increase in calls.In addition to cooperating with other bodies for testing and continuing to evacuate confirmed patients to hospitals when needed, MDA is also playing a role in the ongoing search for a coronavirus vaccine. Its teams continue to collect blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients in order to treat patients in severe condition and to help produce passive vaccine candidates. At the time of writing, 7,827 units of plasma have been collected by MDA, with 923 patients in moderate and severe condition having been administered two units of plasma each (a total of 1,864 units).Other organizations have also helped with the collection of plasma, such as the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) group Yad Avraham, which helped collect samples from the haredi sector.These samples are then utilized in passive vaccines, such as the candidate being developed by Israeli biopharmaceutical firm Kamada and Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem.
