The top doctor for the canton of Bern recommends that people aged 65 and over and people with chronic illnesses be vaccinated again, reported SRF.
Barbara Grützmacher, Bern’s chief doctor, said that there are currently a lot of viruses circulating. The most common are coronaviruses and rhinoviruses. Flu cases are also increasing. And the current wave is not yet at its peak.
Anyone who wants to get vaccinated against the flu should do it now, she said. Grützmacher also recommends Covid-19 vaccinations for particularly vulnerable people – those 65 and over and those with certain health problems.
Covid-19 has moved from pandemic to endemic, said the doctor. We will now experience waves of Covid-19 and other viruses together every winter. People at particular risk to Covid-19 are currently ending up in hospital more often. So far Swiss hospitals have been able to deal with it well. They are not overloaded. But we need to continue to monitor the situation, she said.
According to Grützmacher low Covid-19 vaccination rates are driven by people being fed up with the disease and the need to go to a pharmacy to get it in some cantons – doctors offer flu jabs but often not Covid-19 ones.
The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recommends those 65 and over and those with particular health issues get vaccinated. FOPH offers general information about vaccination here.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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