As the entire world is battling the coronavirus pandemic using vaccines, Israel has begun giving Covid shots to children aged between five to 11. The country has recently battled the fourth wave of the pandemic, and according to the latest updates, the number of fresh positive cases has started slowing down.
Vaccines for children could slow down the spread of the pandemic
Medical experts in Israel have found that children between the age of 5 to 11 make nearly half of the total reported cases in the country over the past few months. Health officials in the country believe that the vaccination rollout for children in this age group could help to bring down the number of fresh cases.
Amid widespread awareness campaigns regarding the vitality of getting vaccinated, Israeli media report that a section of people is still hesitant to give Covid shots to children in this age group. To avoid hesitancy, Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett is expected to accompany his son David, aged 9 to receive the jab.
Israel is a country with a population of just 9 million. The country has reported 1.3 million cases since the pandemic outbreak, and over 8,000 people have succumbed to the virus.
Austria returns to lockdown
Meanwhile, the fourth wave of the pandemic is spreading like wildfire in countries Austria and Germany. In the initial days of the fourth wave outbreak, Austria had planned to restrict the movement of people who had not received the vaccines. However, the government decided to impose a complete lockdown that began on November 22.
Austrians have been asked to work from home, and non-essential shops are closed. Amid protests against the Covid lockdown, the government is imposing strict restrictions to keep the pandemic at bay.
However, in countries like India, the existing wave of the pandemic has waned. But medical experts still believe that a mutant version of the virus could wreak havoc if people fail to maintain social distancing measures.
