Israel is planning to ramp up the number of tests for the novel coronavirus it can perform every day, quadrupling the checks, Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov said Wednesday.

The number of tests for the virus is planned to go from 400 to 1,600 a day, he told Channel 12.

According to the station, four major hospitals — Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Beilenson Medical Center in Petah Tikvah, and Poriya Hospital in the north — have in recent weeks checked people for symptoms of COVID-19, but not for the disease itself as the patients did not report that they had returned from abroad, according to Channel 12.

In addition, the Health Ministry recently began stocking up on large amounts of anti-malaria and HIV medication as they are thought to be effective in treating those who are seriously ill with COVID-19, Army Radio reported.

“Tens of thousands” of doses were ordered and are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, according to the station.