1st shipment of COVID-19 vaccine for children arrive in Israel: state TV

JERUSALEM -- The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines for children arrived in Israel on Saturday, just ahead of its vaccination campaign for children aged five to 11, state-owned Kan TV news reported.

The vaccination campaign is expected to begin on Tuesday, according to an announcement issued by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Friday.

The shipment of about 1 million children's doses of Pfizer vaccine was flown from Leipzig in Germany to Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv. Later, these vaccines will be distributed to health maintenance organizations throughout the country.

The decision to vaccinate children was taken following a recommendation by the Israeli health ministry's expert panel earlier this month.

On Sunday, the ministry's experts are expected to discuss vaccinating children who have recovered from the virus and giving a third booster shot to adolescents aged 12-15.