El Al picks up thousands of coronavirus supplies from South Korea

On Wednesday, an El Al plane departed from South Korea to Israel carrying tens of thousands of coronavirus testing reagents and protective suits for medical personnel.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

After weeks of testing for coronavirus, Israel found itself running out of reagents, the chemical compound used to extract the virus’s DNA from blood samples.

On Wednesday, an El Al plane departed from South Korea to Israel carrying tens of thousands of coronavirus testing reagents and protective suits for medical personnel.

“I thank the Defense Ministry and El Al, who we sent to the end of the world in order to bring lifesaving equipment here,” said Defense Minister Naftali Bennett.

“We continue to act in full force, and in all possible ways, both with local production and in the international arena.”

South Korea, which took aggressive actions in combating the coronavirus, has stood out as a country that has effectively been able to limit its spread.

Out of a population of 51 million, there are 9,786 confirmed coronavirus cases and 162 deaths as of March 31, according to the South Korean Ministry of Health.

South Korea took no chances when the coronavirus started spreading worldwide, rushing to administer roughly 3,000 tests per day which quickly grew to an average of 20,000. The vast number of tests available allowed the government to better track the way coronavirus was spreading and take decisive action in containing it.

Israel has also set out an ambitious testing program. The government says it wants to test 30,000 per day. But with coronavirus testing reagents running low, Israel’s Health Ministry had been forced on Friday to tighten its coronavirus testing eligibility.

To be eligible a person must have a fever higher than 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) coupled with a cough, difficulty breathing, or other respiratory symptoms. They will also need to show they have been at least 15 minutes near a virus carrier or returned to Israel from abroad or from Judea and Samaria in the previous two weeks.

On Thursday, the Health Ministry reported 9,404 confirmed coronavirus cases, 147 patients in serious condition, and 71 dead as a result of the deadly disease.