Israel vaccinates 23.1 pct of teenagers aged 12-15 against COVID-19

JERUSALEM: JULY 6 – Israel has vaccinated 131,000 teenagers aged 12 to 15, or 23.1 percent of the age band, against coronavirus since June 6, the Health Ministry said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, 88 percent of people aged 50 and over in Israel, or about 2.16 million in this age band, have been vaccinated. To date, 5.66 million in Israel have received the Pfizer vaccine, accounting for 60.7 percent of the total population, according to the ministry.

The vaccination campaign in Israel began on Dec. 20, 2020, with the first phase targeting medical staff, people aged over 65, and chronic patients. Since then, the age of eligibility has been gradually lowered.

On Monday, the ministry said the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine had dropped to 64 percent between June 6 and July 3 amid the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, compared to 94.3 percent measured between May 2 and June 5.

-XINHUA