The Health Ministry is very worried about the public repercussions after the severe restrictions in place for the coronavirus are lifted and the possibility of a second wave of the disease.
Channel 13 News reported that as part of the return to routine, the ministry has required the addition of two thousand beds and thousands of tests for the medical staff. In the coming weeks, the ministry also decided to carry out blood tests for antibodies, so that every person who undergoes a blood test with his or her health fund will also take a test to determine if the patient had contracted the disease and are now immune.
Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov told the New York Times that the tests will reveal the extent of Israeli exposure to the virus and if it turns out that a significant percentage of the population has been exposed to the virus, the data may indicate that Israel is on its way to herd immunity. The danger of a second coronavirus wave that could flood the health care system still exists, the ministry warned.
In the estimation of Bar Siman Tov many Israelis would be interested in participating in such survey tests and he believes that demand will be greater than supply.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has updated that in the past day, only one person died of the coronavirus, increasing the number of deaths in Israel to 239.
The number of patients who still have the disease continues to decline to 5,434 people. 89 patients remain is serious condition, 69 of whom are on ventilators.
The total number of patients since the outbreak of the virus in Israel has reached 16,310, of which 10,637 have recovered so far, representing more than 65% of patients.