Israel has recommended vaccination against Covid-19 for children aged between 5 and 11.
It joins other countries offering vaccines to young children, including the US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cambodia, Colombia and Cuba.
“The director general of the ministry of health authorised the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 years,” the health ministry said.
Authorities had already begun vaccinating minors aged 12 to 17 but decided to lower the age threshold after trials by Pfizer and recommendations from a panel of Israeli scientists.
Israel was one of the first countries to launch a vaccination campaign last year using the shots, thanks to a deal with Pfizer that gave it access to millions of doses in exchange for data on the vaccine's efficacy.
The vaccination campaign allowed the health authorities to fully vaccinate 5.7 million of the country's nine million population.
The latest announcement came as health authorities reported 220 new infections over the previous day.
It marked a plunge from daily cases that topped 10,000 in late August and early September, driven by the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
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An Israeli girl receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine from the Magen David Adom during a campaign to encourage the vaccination of teenager in Tel Aviv. -
An Israeli girl receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine during a campaign to encourage the vaccination of teenagers in Tel Aviv. -
12-year-old Yonatan Rosh receives a Covid-19 vaccine as he is support by his mother Ilana at a vaccines station in Tel Aviv. -
12-year-old Yonatan Rosh eating ice cream he got for free after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination station in Tel Aviv. -
An Israeli girl receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Israel is now urging more 12- to 15-year-olds to be vaccinated, citing new outbreaks attributed to the more infectious Delta variant. -
Israeli youths receive a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Some 5.2 million people have received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, after Israel obtained millions of doses. -
An Israeli girl receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. The Israeli health ministry reimposed a requirement last month for masks to be worn in enclosed public places following a surge in Covid cases. -
An Israeli girl receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. About three-quarters of Israelis in eligible age groups have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. -
A minor receives a Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination station in Tel Aviv, Israel. -
Israeli youths arrive to receive a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine - bookings doubled and tripled after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that currently allotted doses would expire on July 9. -
Israeli youths arrive to receive a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. -
A minor receives a COVID-19 vaccines at a vaccination station in Tel Aviv.
A campaign for a third booster vaccine appeared central to driving down infections.
Results of clinical trials using the Pfizer shot on children showed the vaccine was 90.7 per cent effective in preventing symptoms of the illness.
“The majority of experts believe that the benefits of vaccinating children outweigh the risks,” the ministry said.
The ministry will announce the date for the start of inoculations for young children in coming days.
