Recently, the Israeli government announced that they are going to let certain people enter Israel. This decision was made after a long year with strict non-entry policies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Entry into Israel is very limited and has very restrictive qualifications, one of which is an antibody test (if the person entering Israel has been vaccinated or has recovered from Covid-19).
What is an antibody test?
After someone is infected with a disease, their body produces antibodies to provide the body with protection and immunity against another possible infection. Antibodies are found in the blood of people who have been infected with certain diseases to determine if they have immunity (The immunity may be long term or short term, depending on the virus), and they usually start developing between 1-3 weeks after being infected. This is also true for the Covid-19 antibody test. They test if someone had Coronavirus and are immune.
So why should I get an antibody test?
Due to the Coronavirus, many countries require quarantine upon entering the country (between 10-12 days with two negative Coronavirus tests in between). This has been very problematic for people who want to travel and see their families and people who commute for work.
People who want to enter Israel who claim to have been vaccinated or who claim to have had Covid-19 must prove that they have antibodies. Therefore, they must do an antibody test upon entering Israel. We should note that people who enter Israel have to go into quarantine until the result of their serological test comes back positive (meaning that they have antibodies against Covid-19).
* afterward they can request to leave quarantine, the request must include proof of vaccination/previous infection and current positive serological test
EMA Care can provide people entering Israel with referrals to local labs for serology (antibody) testing. We can also provide a concierge serological test at your home or hotel. This service includes assistance tracking MOH submission and obtaining quarantine exemption (exemptions are dependent on serology (antibody) results).
For more information on this service – click here!
