Israel started vaccinating with the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine against Covid-19 at the age of 5-11 today, hoping to put a stop to the recent increase in coonovirus cases.
A fourth wave of infections hit Israel in June and began to subside in September. But in the last two weeks, the R index has started to rise and has now crossed the threshold, which indicates that the virus could spread exponentially again.
Daytime cases have begun to rise in recent days, with half of the confirmed cases currently recorded among children aged 11 and under.
Israel’s population of 9.4 million is relatively young, with about 1.2 million children in the 5-11 age group. As of November, that group accounted for more than a third of all new cases, according to the country’s health ministry. Scientists and officials have questioned whether the country can achieve “herd immunity” unless children are vaccinated.
However, policymakers also point out that vaccinating younger children is primarily about protecting their individual health and not just stopping the spread of the virus.
Last week they stressed that although Covid-19 is rarely severe in young children and many do not show any symptoms, it can be dangerous in the long run.
The Israeli Ministry of Health estimates that one in 3,500 children infected with the new coronavirus will later develop Multisystem Inflammatory Childhood Syndrome. Most of the children suffering from this condition require hospitalization in an intensive care unit and 1-2% die.
Officials also note the risk of persistent symptoms, such as sleep disturbance, myalgias, loss of smell and taste, headaches and coughing.
A study by the Ministry of Health on more than 13,000 children showed that about 11% of them showed persistent symptoms, six months after their recovery.
“All these phenomena can be serious and we want to prevent them,” Health Minister Nijan Horovic told lawmakers today.
Vaccinations began today in a Tel Aviv square and the campaign will start across the country tomorrow Tuesday.
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