A shipment of enough reagents (chemicals used in lab tests) to conduct 100,000 coronavirus checks landed in Israel from South Korea on Wednesday, according to the Defense Ministry.
Additionally, 50,000 full-body personal protective suits were purchased. Both the chemicals and the suits will be sent to medical labs and the Health Ministry this evening, the ministry added. The shipment was the result of a joint operation with the Directorate of Procurement and Production (DOPP), in the Israel Ministry of Defense, the IDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Defense Ministry also purchased 100 ventilators from the US, which arrived in Israel on Wednesday.
On Saturday, 11 El Al cargo planes carrying medical supplies including 900,000 protective masks, ventilators and 500,000 protective suits for medical teams and other items arrived in Israel from China.
While there have been numerous reports of medical supplies arriving to the country, there are still concerns that if the pandemic worsens in Israel, there may be a lack of essential equipment, such as ventilators.
In countries where supplies, including personal protective equipment are scarce, medical personnel have been forced to make their own gear with garbage bags and other items.
According to Israeli media outlets, Israel competes with other countries, using the Mossad among other services, to purchase medical supplies to ensure its population will not be placed in such a situation.
Israel also extended medical help to the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority, as both Israelis and Palestinians live close to one another and an outbreak in one population is likely to cross into the other.