Yuli Edelstein unveils plan to increase testing to 15,000 people per day

The country will once again increase testing, this time targeting people with and without symptoms of the novel coronavirus, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Sunday night. The newly appointed minister unveiled a new coronavirus testing policy as several dozen – if not hundreds – more students and teachers across the country entered isolation on Sunday and as another 53 people were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2. “One of the most significant changes: Members of a verified patient's family, even if they are asymptomatic, will be checked on the same day as their family member is diagnosed and then again five days later,” Edelstein said during a special press briefing. In addition, people who are asymptomatic but have come in close contact with a known patient, whether in school or on a bus or train, will be screened, he said. Until now, testing of asymptomatic people was only done in specific cases. Moreover, Edelstein noted that one's doctor can now prescribe a coronavirus test and that high-risk populations will be tested, as well as people with coronavirus symptoms or those who were less than two meters away from a sick person for at least 15 minutes. Finally, anyone who is hospitalized with symptoms will be screened. Over the weekend, Israel had a five-fold increase in the number of people diagnosed with the novel coronavirus in one day on Saturday, when there were 28 positive results out of 1,012 tests, Edelstein said. The majority of new cases (around 50%) over the last several days have been centered around one school: Gymnasia Rehavia middle and high school in Jerusalem. At press time, the Health Ministry was reporting 160 verified cases of the virus, among them mostly students but also some teachers and parents. All of the students and staff are in isolation. Furthermore, a student at the Masorti high school in Jerusalem – the daughter of a Gymnasia staffer – tested positive, as did a teacher from the Hartman religious-Zionist boys high school. The math teacher worked at Gymnasia, too. Additionally, an 11th-grader from the Jerusalem Art School tested positive, as did a fifth-grader who studies at the Zalman Aran school, also in the city. It was also revealed on Saturday night and Sunday that the virus was found in Holon, Kiryat Ye'arim and Bnei Brak. On Sunday night all students and staff from Ofek elementary school in Givat Ze'ev were sent home following the positive diagnosis of coronavirus of one of the staff members. Meanwhile in Bat Yam, 18 people, including 13 students, were sent into quarantine after one of the after-school childcare facility workers was also diagnosed with the coronavirus. The worker last visited the after-school facility on Monday, and was tested after she showed multiple symptoms of the virus. Thirteen students from ten different schools in the city had to enter quarantine along with five staff members. In Holon, a seventh-grader tested positive for the virus, placing several sixth- and seventh-graders in isolation. In Kiryat Ye'arim, it was eight students at a local yeshiva, about a third of the total number of students. The entire yeshiva is being tested, and it is expected that more will test positive. In Bnei Brak, a teacher was hospitalized with coronavirus. She worked at two schools, putting 17 children and nine staff members into isolation. This latest uptick in cases comes after a weekend of high infection. On Friday, the Health Ministry reported more than 100 new cases, crossing a redline set by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on May 4. At that time, he addressed the nation and said we could continue opening up the economy if we did not see more than 100 patients per day, there were fewer than 250 patients in serious condition or the infection rate did not double in 10 days or less. On Saturday night, Netanyahu evaded that fact and told the public he is monitoring the data to determine the next steps. He repeated the message Sunday morning at the cabinet meeting. “We are monitoring to see if this is a real change in trend,” he said. “We will look at the next few steps, and if need be, we will change the policy accordingly.” Edelstein said the Health Ministry is able to perform 15,000 tests per day and called on “all citizens – if you think you are sick, or have any symptoms, or you think you were near a sick person – get it checked out.” Later, at his briefing, he said: “I heard claims that not everyone who asked to be tested had been tested. We are addressing this issue.” If the country had screened 15,000 people and the percentage of sick to tests stayed consistent, this would mean 415 people would have tested positive on Saturday, for example. On Sunday, the Health Ministry reported conducting 2,874 tests to reach 53 cases, the equivalent of 276 sick people if 15,000 tests had been taken. “I have heard people saying, 'What is all this panic about? This is an isolated event,'” Edelstein noted at the cabinet meeting. “We need to understand: There was a steady rise in cases even before the Jerusalem school event. And even if you remove the cases from the school, there is still an increase in infection.” He said he would meet Sunday night with Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, and they would discuss next steps for the Jerusalem school system. On the table is closing all the schools until the infection rate is better controlled. In addition, Sigal Sadetsky, the head of Public Health Services, said the country had launched its first serological tests, screening foreign workers. The tests will soon be expanded to help determine how much of the general population has been infected with coronavirus and has developed antibodies, she said. Edelstein reminded the public that there are three key guidelines that will help prevent the spread of the virus: wear a mask, keep two meters distance between people, and maintain good hygiene. At press time Sunday, there were 17,071 Israelis who had been infected in Israel, including 1,994 active cases – an increase of 50 from the day before. Some 44 people were in moderate condition and 33 in serious condition, including 30 who were intubated. So far, 285 people have died.

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