Earlier on Wednesday, the Health Ministry instructed Israel’s HMOs to stop conducting coronavirus tests on those who are not displaying any symptoms of the virus, with some exceptions.
Those living with someone who was diagnosed with the disease and workers who engage with high-risk populations, such as in nursing homes, can still be tested, even if they have no symptoms.
The Health Ministry order also gives some leeway — up to 5,000 daily tests — to medical professionals to test asymptomatic populations at their discretion.
Earlier this month, the Israeli company AID Genomics announced that it had developed a half-hour coronavirus test kit, and predicted it will become a globally available screening solution.
AID Genomics chief scientist Izhak Haviv said his company has changed the enzymes and other components normally used in test kits in order to enable small batches of “VIP” tests to be processed in 30 minutes, and bigger batches in around double the time.
There are various attempts around the world to reduce times for processing tests, and the current low is believed to be 90 minutes. Such tests, however, are generally seen as a premium product, mostly reserved for hospitals given their high cost. Haviv said his testing will be significantly cheaper than existing express services.
The new kit has been sent for approval to regulators, including the FDA, said Haviv.
Nathan Jeffay contributed to this report.