He concluded by saying that the research shows that the benefits of children being vaccinated far outweigh the risks of the vaccines.Īfter an extended discussion, HaRav Chaim paskened that parents should vaccinate their children aged five and above and gave the pediatric vaccination program a bracha for success. Ran Balicer, who heads Magen Yisrael, the medical experts’ advisory panel to the Knesset’s coronavirus cabinet, presented the existing data on children vaccinated in the US and research studies carried out in Israel and worldwide on the subject. Coronavirus czar Zarka presented the data to HaRav Chaim, summarizing the opinions of senior health officials regarding immunization for children and information on the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety in the pediatric population. On that background, senior health officials gathered at the home of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky on Thursday to discuss the campaign for the vaccination of children. The Health Ministry has warned that it may impose new restrictions on gatherings if the number of daily cases continues to increase. Zarka and senior Health Ministry officials report that there has been a rise in the number of COVID infections in the past week and most of the new cases are children who haven’t been vaccinated.