The Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday that for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic reached Israel in March 2020, not a single soldier had tested positive for the virus.
The military credited its widespread vaccination program for the achievement, adding that more than 80 percent of IDF personnel have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Commenting on the development, IDF Chief Medical Officer Brig. Gen. Alon Glazberg said “the achievement we noted this morning is a significant milestone in the battle against the virus,” according to the IDF’s official website.
“The IDF Medical Corps and its various personnel, IDF soldiers and those serving in all of the units—you have a role in this achievement. We will continue to keep our finger on the pulse and safeguard the health of those serving—for them and to enable the IDF to fulfill its mission in the best manner possible,” he added.
The head of the IDF’s Technological and Logistics Branch, Maj. Gen. Itzik Turgeman, stated: “The vaccination campaign, which was a complex, rapid techno-logistical medical operation, led the IDF to be the first inoculated organization in the world. Today, we see another milestone in which the IDF becomes the first military to be without anyone infected with the coronavirus.”
Meanwhile, the numbers of Israeli civilians infected with COVID-19 remain low, with 47 people confirmed to be infected as of Monday morning and a total of 1,288 active cases, according to official Health Ministry data.
The country’s hospitals are currently treating 104 COVID-19 patients in serious condition, among whom 64 are in critical condition and 62 are on ventilators.
