Israel on Sunday approved giving the COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of 5 and 11.
The Health Ministry decision follows approval by U.S. health authorities earlier this month to OK the vaccine for the same age group.
Read more:
COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5-11 could come in ‘one to two weeks’: Health Canada
Israel was one of the first countries in the world to carry out a broad vaccination campaign in its adult and adolescent population early this year, and it became the first country to carry out a widespread booster campaign over the summer.
Experts say Israel’s aggressive vaccination efforts have helped curb the spread of the coronavirus and bring a recent wave of the delta variant under control. But it has seen the coronavirus continue to spread among unvaccinated populations, including children.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said its director general, Dr. Nachman Ash, accepted a recommendation from expert advisers to inoculate children with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. It said a majority of advisers believed the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks.
The ministry said it would announce a date for beginning the campaign in the coming days. Israeli media said the vaccinations of a child-sized dose of the vaccine were expected to start next week.
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