JERUSALEM, July 31 (Xinhua) -- A nationwide vaccination campaign against COVID-19 for children aged six months to five years was launched in Israel on Sunday.

The vaccination will provide children "with an important protection layer against serious illness and post-COVID symptoms," said a statement issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health on Sunday evening.

The vaccine is especially recommended for children at risk of severe COVID-19 illness due to underlying health conditions that impair the immune system, the ministry noted.

The shots will either be three doses of the Pfizer vaccine or two doses of the Moderna vaccine, said the ministry.

Vaccination for children under the age of five was approved by the ministry's Director General Nachman Ash earlier this month, following a recommendation by a panel of experts.