Facing COVID spike, Health Ministry recommends third vaccine dose for kids 5-11

Health clinics told to ready to open up shots for youngsters as daily caseload passes 7,000; so far, just 20% in that age group have had even a single shot

The Health Ministry recommended Tuesday giving a COVID-19 vaccine booster to children aged 5-11 as the daily caseload for coronavirus infections continued to climb, raising concerns that the country is entering a sixth virus wave.

Officials instructed health management organizations to prepare to make the shots available for children in that age bracket.

The third dose can also be given to children who recovered from the coronavirus more than three months ago.

Israel began vaccinating children aged 5-11 in November last year, but Health Ministry figures released Tuesday showed that so far 76.5 percent of children in that age group have not been vaccinated.

Data also showed that over the past month, 1,261 unvaccinated children aged 5-11 who had recovered from the virus had caught it again, as well as 295 who had been given at least one dose of the vaccine.

Separately on Tuesday, Israel’s coronavirus czar Salman Zarka told reporters in a briefing that while COVID-19 cases appear to be rising, COVID tests at the airport are unlikely to return anytime soon.

“We don’t see a reason to check people at border crossings,” Zarka said. “We will test people at Ben Gurion Airport if there are concerns about new variants in the world.”