System crashes hours after serology tests launched for kids, causing delays

Hours after Israel launched antibody testing for children aged as young as three, the registration system and app have crashed due to high online traffic, causing many disappointed families to leave facilities without getting tested.

In some cases, IDF Home Front Command soldiers running the facilities are doing the registration manually, according to Hebrew media reports. In others, staff didn’t arrive on time.

An IDF official tells the Kan public broadcaster that the system will be relaunched tomorrow.

Despite surging daily infections caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant, the government insists it wants to avoid the hardships and developmental setbacks caused by school closures.

Israel has already begun vaccinating children aged 12 and above.

The national serological survey is focused on pupils between the ages of three and 12 who are not yet eligible for the shot, nearly 1.5 million children.

It is aimed at discovering how many children developed strong antibody protection against the coronavirus after having an unrecorded or latent case, according to the Education Ministry.

Those children with sufficient antibodies will not be forced to quarantine when exposed to a COVID-19 patient, a move aimed at limiting school year disruptions.