Mossad purchases 100,000 virus testing kits, health ministry says 'not what's needed'
Israel in dire need of swabs and test tubes to commence mass testing
The Mossad imported 100,000 testing kits for the novel coronavirus into the Jewish state overnight Wednesday, however, officials in the health ministry said, the equipment brought in “is not what we needed.”
The Mossad, which normally does not interfere in state purchasing operations, is expected to bring millions of more kits in the coming days, Hebrew-language outlet Ynet reported.
But Israel’s significant shortages at the moment lie with swabs and test tubes for collecting samples. Apparently, the equipment purchased was neither of the two but relates to a later phase in the coronavirus testing process.
Health Ministry Associate Director-General Prof. Itamar Grotto told Ynet that “unfortunately, what came in is not exactly what we are missing. There are all sorts of components involved in the testing and that is not what we’re missing at the moment. We are missing swabs,” he concluded.
Anonymous senior officials were quoted as saying “the Mossad brought what it was asked. The Mossad will punctuate better the need with the health ministry. The secret route exists and through it, we will continue importing whatever is needed.”