(JNS) The Israel Defense Forces is the first military in the world to have achieved herd immunity against the COVID-19 virus, a top IDF official said on Thursday, March 11. According to Maj. Gen. Itzik Turgeman, the head of the IDF’s Technology and Logistics Directorate, 85 percent of the military will have been vaccinated against the disease by the end of next week. Just 10 weeks after the launch of the IDF’s immunization campaign, 81 percent of service members have already either been vaccinated or are recovering from the disease, while overall morbidity continues to decline, the military said in a statement. 

The vaccination campaign was logistically complex, due to the restrictions on the transport of the vaccine packets, said Glazberg. Unlike some other COVID-19 vaccines, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine used in Israel must be kept stored at ultra-cold temperatures. Because of this, a unique transport system had to be devised, said Glazberg. The two senior officers stressed, however, that “the coronavirus is still with us, and we will continue to maintain the guidelines with regard to social distancing, wearing masks and public-transportation adjustments.”

Preparations are already underway to vaccinate the next waves of recruits.

Main Photo: IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi receiving the COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 20, 2020. Source: IDF via Twitter.