Exceptions committee of the Ministry of Health approved ten Israeli boys to be vaccinated • No side effects reported • "The benefit far exceeds the uncertainty", explains an expert
Vaccine center in Givatayim // Photo: AFP
At least ten children under the age of 16 have been vaccinated against corona in Israel, although it has been approved for emergency use from the age of 16 onwards.
All cases have been approved by the Exceptions Committee, and the children who have been vaccinated are children with severe lung disease, abnormal neurological conditions or obesity - all of which lead to an increased risk of corona complications.
The Ministry of Health stated that no side effects were reported.
Pfizer's Corona vaccine has been approved for emergency use in Israel from the age of 16, but the Ministry of Health's Committee for Priority Vaccines has approved a mechanism, such as an Exceptions Committee, which can approve the vaccination of children under 16 in special cases.
"I have encountered exceptional cases of children, especially those aged 12 and over, who needed the vaccine. Consult me, the children have been vaccinated and are in good condition. These are isolated and exceptional cases," says Prof. Eli Somekh, an infectious disease specialist, director of the children's ward at Maayan Hayeshua Hospital. Which prioritizes vaccines.
He added that "in children with significant background diseases there is a concern that corona may be a serious disease. These are children with extreme obesity, severe lung disease or metabolic diseases. In such children the benefit of the vaccine far outweighs the uncertainty about the vaccine."
Prof. Somekh noted that among the children who were vaccinated with lung transplant children or patients with cystic fibrosis, a disease that causes severe damage to health.
Vaccination can also be approved in cases where the parent has transplanted organs.
Transplant recipients are one of the groups whose life-threatening corona infection is very dangerous - and vaccinating the family members may protect the parent in such a case.
"Not a sweeping recommendation"
Dr. Michal Stein, Chairman of the Association for Infectious Diseases in Children and Director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Hillel Yaffe: “It makes sense in some cases to approve the vaccine under the age of 16. This is not a sweeping recommendation, but an individual recommendation for cases where there are significant risk factors for children. "Very severe neurodevelopmental disorders or morbid obesity. There is no doubt that there is no significant difference between vaccinating a 16-year-old boy and a 14- or 12-year-old vaccine."
At the meeting of the committee that prioritizes vaccines, it was stated that "the vaccine was submitted for registration to 16-year-olds and older. At this stage, as a rule, it is recommended not to vaccinate children under this age. In light of the fact that there are children for whom the vaccine is essential (or their environment). "Individually. The panel proposes to have a doctor who specializes in public health, a specialist in pediatrics and a specialist in the specific field. A similar mechanism should also be established for patients in exceptional situations, who require vaccination and are not on the preferred lists."
The Ministry of Health confirmed the details, noting that "in some cases of immunodeficiency or special risk of corona virus, according to medical judgment and subject to the approval of the attending physician, can be vaccinated. Side Effects".
In an update published last night, the committee that prioritizes vaccines stated that "there are situations in which vaccination of adolescents and children under the age of 16 can be considered. "Efficiency and safety. In these cases, Form 3 is required - a doctor's instruction to use a preparation that is not registered at a medical institution for an individual patient."
