Israel could start jabbing kids by late November if FDA approves

Health Ministry chief said that experts will review FDA decision on vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11

Israel could start vaccinating children ages 5 to 11 by late November or early December pending approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash told Kan pubcaster on Sunday.

Ash said that health experts will review the decision by US regulators.

Coronavirus czar Prof. Salman Zarka said a week ago that Israel would wait for FDA approval to begin administering jabs to the age cohort, but did not specify a time when the vaccination program would start.
An FDA advisory panel is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss the request for the vaccine, which would include different dosage and dilution requirements compared to the vaccine currently available to adults.

Israel in July authorized the vaccination of immunocompromised children aged 5 to 11 against the coronavirus.

Children in the age group are receiving a lower dose of the vaccine at 10 micrograms instead of 30 micrograms.

The decision on vaccinating children comes amid a trend of declining morbidity as Israel appears to be exiting from the fourth wave of the coronavirus.

Daily cases dropped below the thousand mark on Saturday with the Jewish state logging 983 new infections over the previous 24-hour period, with a positivity rate of 1.07 percent.