Under the direction of Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, the Ministry of Health conducted a national serological survey from July to September 2020 in order to assess the presence of antibodies to the coronavirus in the Israeli population.
The serological method makes it possible to estimate the number of people in the population who have been exposed to the coronavirus and have developed antibodies against it. The advantage of this method is that it can be used to learn about the subject's previous exposure to the virus, even among those who did not show symptoms of illness or positive tests at the time of illness.
The survey was conducted in collaboration with the four health funds and included about 55,000 subjects living in hundreds of localities nationwide. The survey examined indices of sex, age and locality characteristics (district, size, nationality and religion).
According to the survey, the prevalence of antibodies in the sample population is 3.8% (5.5% after comparing variables to their rate in the general population in Israel).
In men, the incidence rate was high compared to that found in women (4.9% vs. 3.1%). Children in the 10-18 age group presented the highest rate (8.1%).
The rate of positive tests in the Jerusalem District was the highest (9.5%), followed by the Central District (2.9%), the Tel Aviv District (2.2%), the Northern District (1.9%) and the Haifa District (1.1%).
In large localities (over 50,000 inhabitants) the incidence rate was 4.3%, higher than in medium-sized localities (3.2%) and small ones (3.4%).
In non-Jewish localities the rate was 2.1%, in Jewish localities 3.6% and in localities with a mixed population 5.5%. The rate of incidence in haredi localities was about 5 times higher than in haredi localities. In localities defined as red in the first wave, the incidence rate was four times higher than in localities not defined as red.
The ministry will conduct further surveys in the future with the aim of learning about the population's exposure to the virus during the current wave.
The survey findings show that the rate of exposure in Israel is far from what can be defined as "herd immunity". Furthermore, a high level of antibodies in the blood does not necessarily indicate long-term immunity. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health reiterates the importance of wearing masks, maintaining social distance and maintaining hand hygiene, even among those who have found antibodies in their blood.
This survey joins another random survey conducted during the first wave in Bnei Brak and the management of the Ministry of Health is studying the results. It is possible that the serological test will be adopted in the near future as a method for identifying people who have been infected with the virus in the past and will help identify those who have recovered and shorten / prevent isolation among people who have been ill and recovered in the past.
Health Minister Edelstein said this morning, "I thank the survey operators and its participants. Israel is among the first countries in the world to conduct a serological survey on a national scale and with such a wide range of subjects. The survey is part of the Ministry of Health's efforts to find more innovative methods for diagnosing coronavirus and those sick with it, including a global and continuous survey for the detection of advanced and reliable means for rapid detection of the disease among the subjects."