As more and more countries around the world are beginning to offer Covid-19 vaccines for children over 12, Israel offers a glimpse of what the future may hold.
The country rapidly vaccinated a large part of its adult population earlier this year. In June, it recommended vaccinating children over 12, after outbreaks in schools – and is now already offering third doses as booster shots for that age group.
Since July, it has also offered vaccinations for children aged 5-11 “in exceptional circumstances”, including severe chronic lung illnesses and congestive heart failure.
But while the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shown to be safe for children, the decision can be more complex than for adults. Since children tend to be less affected by Covid-19, even a small number of adverse reactions to the vaccine can make it harder to justify the jab.
“The vaccine works,” says Nicole Ritz, a specialist in paediatric infectious diseases at University Children’s Hospital Basel in Switzerland. “But same as we have done for 12 to 18-year-olds, you need even more caution as you [decrease] in age.
