JERUSALEM, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Israel decided to lower the eligibility age for the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from 50 to 40, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported on Thursday.
The expert committee of the Israeli Health Ministry recommended vaccinating people aged over 40, as well as teachers of all ages due to the recent sharp rise in COVID-19 infections in the country, said the report.
The decision is expected to take effect by Friday after an approval by the ministry's director general, Nachman Ash.
So far, nearly 1.25 million people have received the third dose in Israel, out of about 1.9 million aged 50 and over who took the second shot more than five months earlier.
The number of people who have received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Israel reached nearly 5.88 million, or 63 percent of its total population, while over 5.4 million have taken two doses and nearly 1.25 million have got three jabs. Enditem
