Israel approved on Thursday a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for children aged 5–11 who are at risk of developing a serious illness.
According to an outline imparted to healthcare providers by the Health Ministry, children in at-risk groups who have completed the original two-dose regimen of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will now be eligible for a third shot. The dosage for children is about a third of that administered to adults and adolescents.
The decision to authorize the booster shot came against the backdrop of low vaccine takeup among children, as only 14% of the 5–11 age group have been vaccinated with two doses, while 19% received just one dose.
Meanwhile, Health Ministry data released Wednesday showed that children and teens between the ages of 5 and 18 who were vaccinated within the last three months were better protected from catching the Omicron variant.
Children aged 5–11 who got vaccinated within the last two months were twice less likely to catch the virus than their unvaccinated counterparts.
Additionally, adolescents aged 12–15 who received a booster shot within the last two months were four times more protected than those who did not get a single vaccine dose.
The findings suggest that antibody levels in the first four months after vaccination remain high and offer protection against infection.