Israel's national medical service Magen David Adom (MDA) has sampled over 4,100,000 people in Israel for the coronavirus, the organization announced on Thursday.
The massive amount of sampling was taken at a variety of sites throughout Israel, including private homes, clinics, hospitals and nursing homes as part of MDA's “Protecting Fathers and Mothers” project, as well as at educational institutions.
The drive to sample people was conducted in tandem with the various healthcare providers in Israel, MDA EMTs and paramedics, who last week sampled some 42,500 Israelis.
MDA has also worked to test travelers who are returning to Israel, operating special stands at Ben Gurion Airport to greet them as they enter the country. Nevertheless, Ben Gurion has remained closed after the government implemented restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Likewise, MDA has done about 3,000 serological tests, and has worked to make sure that confirmed coronavirus patients reach hospitals as soon as possible. The organization has also administered half a million of vaccines to people around the country.
While the focus has been on combating the virus, MDA has not lost focus of its other endeavors, continuing to collect plasma for ill patients, for both the coronavirus as well as other needs, such as the production of a passive vaccine.
The medical service has worked in coordination with healthcare providers, the Health Ministry and the IDF's Home Front Command. The work by MDA comes as Israel slowly comes out of lockdown and returns to normalcy, following an extensive vaccination campaign across the country.