Israel Health Ministry Begins Covid-19 Antibody Testing

(Bloomberg) -- Israel’s Health Ministry began serological testing for coronavirus on Sunday, officials said, amid concerns that a new wave of the pandemic may be starting.

The first tests were conducted on foreign workers, and will soon be expanded to the general population, the officials said at the Jerusalem briefing. The purpose of the tests is to determine how much of the population has already been infected and developed antibodies.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, who began the job earlier this month, also announced that virus testing for current cases of coronavirus will be expanded to people who don’t have symptoms, if they were exposed to a known carrier or if a doctor requests the test.

Some 53 new cases were confirmed in Israel on Sunday, bringing the total to 17,071, including 285 fatalities. The number of new infections has increased following the recent easing of lockdown restrictions, including the reopening of schools.

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