The Vaccination Prioritization Committee tonight (Thursday) recommends that the Ministry of Health allow boys and girls aged 16-18 to be vaccinated against bthe coronavirus, 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 Levy, will decide whether to accept the recommendation and give health care centers a green light to vaccinate teens. It should be noted that the Vaccination Prioritization Committee did not approve of vaccinating recovering COVID-19 patients with low antibody levels. Most of the committee voted in favor of vaccinating women who are in the last trimester of pregnancy.
The Clalit and Meuhedet healthcare groups expanded the vaccination campaign yesterday and will also allow those aged 35 to 40 to make an appointment for a vaccination. The other two major providers, Maccabi and Leumit, are awaiting the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and meanwhile are not expanding their vaccination campaign.
The Ministry of Health said yesterday that "the planning of the vaccination program and the vaccinated groups is a central plan made by the Ministry of Health, together with the health care providers, and is determined by the amount of vaccines and the capacity of each health care center.”