The Vaccination Prioritization Committee on Thursday evening recommended to the Ministry of Health that boys and girls aged 16-18 be allowed to be vaccinated for COVID-19, subject to parental approval.
The recommendation to vaccinate high school students in grades 11-12 is intended to allow them to take the matriculation exams.
The Director General of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Hezi Levi, adopted the proposal of the Prioritization Committee and determined that the professional teams of the Ministries of Health and Education, together with the health maintenance organizations, will formulate a logistical plan to promote the vaccination campaign for students as early as next week.
Meanwhile, the Vaccine Prioritization Committee did not approve the vaccinating of people who have recovered from coronavirus with low antibody levels. Most of the members of the committee voted in favor of vaccinating women who are in the last trimester of pregnancy.
The Clalit and Meuhedet HMOs on Wednesday expanded the vaccination campaign and will also allow those aged 35 to 40 to make an appointment for a vaccination. The other two HMOs - Maccabi and Leumit - are awaiting the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and are not expanding their vaccination campaign at this time.