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Mossad went to a lot of trouble to procure 100,000 useless Coronavirus test kits
Jerusalem Post
Actual headline: Mossad brought 100,000 'unuseable ' coronavirus test kits to Israel
The kits were provided with consent, the 'Post' confirmed. But a Health Ministry official said, "what they brought is not exactly what we were lacking."
The Mossad brought 100,000 coronavirus test kits to Israel from abroad overnight Wednesday, but according to Health Ministry deputy director general Itamar Grotto, "unfortunately, what they brought is not exactly what we were lacking."
Grotto said there are various components that are involved in the tests and that the Mossad did not bring back.
A spokesperson for Magen David Adom explained to The Jerusalem Post that specifically, the tests were missing a patented liquid in which the testing sticks need to be dipped before a screening can be administered. Without it, the test cannot be administered.
The spokesperson explained that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "using his connections around the world now" to try to obtain this liquid as early as Friday.
The Mossad mission was revealed Thursday by N12 and was independently confirmed by The Jerusalem Post. The report came the same day the Health Ministry committed to increasing the number of tests conducted daily in Israel to at least 3,000 and soon to as many as 5,000.
Magen David Adom is scheduled to open its first drive-through testing center in Tel Aviv by Sunday and then five more are expected to open across the country within several additional days. On Thursday morning, the ministry sent out a note informing the public that, "because the number of examining sites has risen (20 labs) and the number of daily examinations is higher than before (more than 2,200 tests yesterday and the number continues to rise), so gathering and summarizing all the data – including the number of people who tested positive for coronavirus – will take longer."
According to a follow up report by the Hebrew website Ynet, the Mossad searched for kits wherever possible and procured these 100,000 from two different countries.
While the original report appeared to leave ambiguous whether the national intelligence agency had taken the test kits without permission or had obtained them by consent, the Post confirmed that the kits were provided with consent.
Part of the reason for the Mossad's involvement in obtaining the kits was since some of countries involved do not have diplomatic relations with Israel and have other complex reasons for wanting to sell the kits below the radar.
Grotto said there are various components that are involved in the tests and that the Mossad did not bring back.
A spokesperson for Magen David Adom explained to The Jerusalem Post that specifically, the tests were missing a patented liquid in which the testing sticks need to be dipped before a screening can be administered. Without it, the test cannot be administered.
The spokesperson explained that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "using his connections around the world now" to try to obtain this liquid as early as Friday.
The Mossad mission was revealed Thursday by N12 and was independently confirmed by The Jerusalem Post. The report came the same day the Health Ministry committed to increasing the number of tests conducted daily in Israel to at least 3,000 and soon to as many as 5,000.
Magen David Adom is scheduled to open its first drive-through testing center in Tel Aviv by Sunday and then five more are expected to open across the country within several additional days. On Thursday morning, the ministry sent out a note informing the public that, "because the number of examining sites has risen (20 labs) and the number of daily examinations is higher than before (more than 2,200 tests yesterday and the number continues to rise), so gathering and summarizing all the data – including the number of people who tested positive for coronavirus – will take longer."
According to a follow up report by the Hebrew website Ynet, the Mossad searched for kits wherever possible and procured these 100,000 from two different countries.
While the original report appeared to leave ambiguous whether the national intelligence agency had taken the test kits without permission or had obtained them by consent, the Post confirmed that the kits were provided with consent.
Part of the reason for the Mossad's involvement in obtaining the kits was since some of countries involved do not have diplomatic relations with Israel and have other complex reasons for wanting to sell the kits below the radar.
Read more: https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Mossad-brought-100000-coronavirus-tests-to-Israel-report-621532