Thousands of Israelis have already made appointments for coronavirus vaccine shots for their young children as the country readies to begin its latest vaccination campaign, health funds said Monday.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced last week the coronavirus vaccination campaign for children aged 5-11 will begin on Tuesday as the country's COVID reproduction rate (R) has again reached 1, indicating a renewed spread of the pathogen.
As Israel's HMOs prepare for the nationwide rollout, appointments to get the vaccine shots for children can be made from Monday morning.
Hundreds of vaccination sites will open all over the country and parents will be asked to report any reactions their children will have had to health authorities.
Israeli health experts decided to administer the second dose of pediatric vaccines three weeks after the first, in line with FDA regulations.
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Pfizer pediatric coronavirus vaccines arrive in Israel on Saturday
(Photo: Ben Gurion Airport Cargo Terminal )
Bennett on Sunday urged parents to vaccinate their children, citing the rise in morbidity in Europe and concerns that a fifth wave of the pandemic might begin.
Albert from Jerusalem says he would like his eight-year-old daughter to be vaccinated as soon as possible.
"There is a lot of fake news on the internet and I am trying to sift through it to get to relevant scientific facts," he told Ynet in an interview. "From what I can understand there is an effort to delegitimize the vaccines, but I trust the health experts. I believe any side effects cannot be worst than the illness," he said.
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A child is photographed after receiving her coronavirus shot in the U.S. earlier this month
(Photo: AFP)
Albert does not deny that he does have some trepidation about vaccinating young children.
"Parents are always concerned," he said. "My child is smart and has been wearing a mask for the past two years and that has been uncomfortable as well. It is time that she too, as the youngest member of our family, be protected from the virus [like her older siblings]."