Israel's Health Ministry approved Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccinations for its youngest children, French news agency AFP cited an Israeli official as saying Tuesday.
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The move follows the US Food and Drug Administration granting in its June emergency authorization for Moderna's vaccine for children aged six months to five years, and Pfizer's shots for those between six months and four years old.
A handful of other countries, including Argentina, Bahrain, Chile, China, Cuba, Hong Kong, and Venezuela were previously offering COVID shots for toddlers, but those did not include mRNA vaccines, regarded as the leading technology for the purpose.
On July 1, a letter by Israeli Health Ministry Director-General Professor Nachman Ash, seen by AFP, noted two hearings held by a ministry panel, in which Pfizer and Moderna data on the "mild" side effects and efficacy rates were presented.
All members of the expert panel agreed the vaccines were safe, with most of the panel "recommending to vaccinate at-risk babies and children, and to enable the vaccination of children who are not at risk," Ash wrote.
In light of the recommendation, Ash decided "to enable the administering of mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations by Pfizer and Moderna to children aged six months to four or five years," he said.
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Over six million Israelis have received at least two COVID vaccination shots, including 17% of the country's children aged 5-11, which up to the latest approval had been the youngest group eligible for inoculation. However, it remains unclear whether parents would rush to vaccinate toddlers as well.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
