Maccabi Healthcare Services, has launched its COVID-19 testing booth.

The booth, created by Maccabi and IM Segev Industries with help from the Manufacturers Association of Israel, allows the HMO to perform quick and efficient COVID-19 tests with complete separation between the patient and the tester and without requiring any personal protective equipment (PPE) for the tester. The first booth is already active and located at Maccabi's Jaffa clinic.

Ran Sa'ar, CEO of Maccabi, said: "The booth we’ve created has proven itself to be a safe and easy way to test patients with minimum risk, furthering our efforts to help flatten the curve. We would be happy to share the design plans with any health organisation worldwide in order to support our shared mission of fighting the COVID-19 virus."

The booth was designed to ensure zero exposure between the patient and the tester and can be quickly disinfected between patients. It enables a sterile sampling process from the moment the patient begins the test to the transfer of the test to the HMO's central laboratory. The test results are processed within a few hours and are reported directly via the patient’s electronic health record.

Dvora Hassid, head of Maccabi's central district, said: "This is groundbreaking work in the global war against the virus. The development of the new sampling booth, led by engineer Itamar Padeh, was finished in less than a week and is a response to the urgent need for safe and efficient testing in Israel and worldwide."