Report: Israel to start giving Covid boosters to kids 5 and up
HMO heads instructed to begin administering third vaccine dose to children ages 5-11
Israel will start jabbing children over the age of 5 with the third Covid-19 vaccine dose, Channel 12 News reports.
The Health Ministry on Thursday instructed the heads of health maintenance organizations to begin administering booster shots to kids between the ages of 5 and 11.
The children will receive a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine specifically designed for the younger demographic.
However, most kids won't be eligible for the booster right away -- it will only be available to those who had their initial shots at least three months ago, which totals some 1,000 children. Most children became eligible for vaccination in November.
Data released by Israel's Health Ministry shows that children and adolescents vaccinated against Covid-19 are more protected against the omicron variant than those who are not.
The study, conducted in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute, Hebrew University, and the Gertner Institute at Sheba Medical Center, shows that vaccines administered in the past few months are effective against the ultra-contagious variant.
Children aged 5 to 11 who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were half as likely to be infected with omicron than unvaccinated children, the study found.