Israel starts vaccinating children between 5 and 11 years old
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stressed that the vaccine is safe and effective
Israel has begun vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 against the coronavirus.
Although the vaccination campaign officially started on Tuesday, some children were administered the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in some locations the day before.
Coronavirus commissioner Salman Sarka spoke of a "celebration for children and parents who can now protect their children," according to media reports.
Thousands of vaccination appointments had already been booked with health insurance companies.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had called on parents to have their children vaccinated, stressing that the vaccine was safe and effective and referring to the coronavirus wave in Europe.
Infections on the rise
Israel is also seeing a rise in infection rates.
The children in the 5-11 age group receive one third of the adult dose. According to the manufacturer, the vaccine has an efficacy of 91% in this age group in relation to symptomatic diseases.
The number of new virus infections in Israel has been declining for two months. On Monday, the Health Ministry reported 454 new cases. In September, there were more than 11,000 on some days, but experts warn of a new increase in the number of cases.