The Israeli delegation preparing to fly to India to develop breakthroughs in coronavirus testing. Photo: Israeli Defense Ministry.

An Israeli delegation to India on a mission to facilitate testing of new coronavirus diagnostic techniques has completed its work and is returning to Israel.

The delegation, sent by the Ministry of Defenses’ Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) and the Foreign Ministry, and including representatives of the Health Ministry, collected more than 20,000 samples from coronavirus patients in India.

The samples will be used in Israel to test new diagnostic technologies that employ artificial intelligence. The samples were collected in India because its large population allowed the team to acquire a wide variety and large number of samples quickly.

The Indian government was heavily involved in the effort, assigning local professionals to take the samples at drive-in sites in Delhi. The samples included sound, saliva, breath and swab samples.

The analysis of the samples began in India and will continue when the team is back in Israel.

“The Indian support for the project is amazing. All research and development bodies, including the Scientific Adviser to Prime Minister Modi, have joined the operation in full force. We hope that in a few months we will be able to bring good news to the world,” Israel’s defense attaché to India, Col. Asaf Maller, said in a statement.

The head of the DDR&D delegation, Lt. Col. Yaniv Meirman, stated, “We came to India to enrich Israeli diagnostic technologies and while there, we found real partners —- partners who were fully committed to the success of the mission.”

“We are optimistic and hopeful that in the near future we will put in place a system for the rapid diagnosis of the coronavirus, which will make it possible to further open the Israeli economy, ‘open’ the skies, and reduce the damage caused by the pandemic,” he added.