Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recently reported that 66,000 people in Switzerland had been vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19.
The number was communicated by Nora Kronig of the FOPH during a press conference in Bern on Thursday 14 January 2020.
The 66,000 is likely to be lower than the actual number because of delays in the flow of information from cantonal health authorities to the federal level.
Vaccination started in most Swiss cantons on 4 January 2021, starting with especially vulnerable people.
So far Switzerland’s pharmaceutical approval authority has approved two vaccines. It approved the Pfizer/BioNTech jab on 19 December 2020 and the Moderna vaccine on 12 January 2020. Both of these vaccines use mRNA.
The work of vaccinating the nation has a long way to go. 66,000 represents less than 1% of Switzerland’s population. Compared to much of the world, Switzerland has high rates of vaccination hesitancy. A recent survey estimated that around 30% would not get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 and a further 20% were unsure.
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RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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Lynx says
There have been 4 million vaccination in the UK. People say the Swiss are slow, but in this instance, I wish they would speed up. At this rate, I’ll be vaccinated in about 3 years.