COVID-19 vaccine
COVID-19 vaccineiStock

The Israeli Health Ministry is severely limiting access to Covid-19 serological tests “in an attempt to increase vaccination rates,” Channel 12 reported Tuesday.

The serological test is said to measure one’s level of antibodies against Covid-19, thus supposedly indicating whether one has previously contracted Covid-19 and recovered.

According to the report, while up until now the tests were accessible to all via health clinics and hospitals, they will now only be given to those with specific medical circumstances, “such as people with a weak immune system, or pregnant women unsure of whether they have contracted” Covid-19 in the past. Those who wish to prove they have recovered, or received a Covid-19 vaccine, abroad will also be allowed to take the test.

Channel 12 said that there had been a surge in demand for the test ever since the Health Ministry announced that a positive serological test result would make one eligible for a “Green Badge” allowing those defined as “vaccinated against” or “recovered from” Covid-19 access to various places and facilities across Israel.

The report added that the decision comes amid the inability of health clinics to meet the high demand for the tests, and that the Health Ministry prefers that people will get vaccinated rather than take the serological test to avoid vaccination.