The corona vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer can now also be given to children between the ages of five and eleven in Israel. The Ministry of Health decided on Sunday after a panel of experts had previously spoken out in favor of it.
So far, the vaccination approval was only valid for children from the age of twelve and adults. The additionally required doses are to be delivered to Israel in the coming days and enable the vaccination campaign for smaller children to start immediately, as the newspaper “Haaretz” reported.
The members of the panel of experts consulted by the Ministry of Health came to the practically unanimous conclusion that “the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh its risks,” it said. Only 2 of the 75 experts therefore voted against the release of the preparation for children from the age of five. The commission also recommended by a large majority that those children who have already suffered a corona infection should also be vaccinated.
Opinions were more divided when it came to the question of whether the syringe should be given immediately after recovery or after a certain transition period. Almost a third of the experts pleaded for an immediate vaccination, almost half advised to wait and see.
At the end of October, the US FDA had already granted emergency approval for the corona vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer for children between the ages of five and eleven. The authority recommended ten micrograms as the dose for this age group, and the same amount is now to be injected in Israel. 30 micrograms are provided for children aged twelve and over and adults.
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett appealed to all parents in parliament on Sunday to have their children vaccinated – his youngest son will also get the injection. Bennett warned against carelessness and referred to the example of several European countries in which stricter measures, including lockdowns, are now being imposed again. “It is impossible to know what is waiting for us around the next corner,” quoted “Haaretz” from his address.
The number of new corona infections has been falling significantly in Israel for two months. Now there are fewer than 500 per day; in September it was more than 11,000 on individual days.