On 21 December 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Department of Public Health (FOPH) and Federal Vaccination Commission (EKIF) announced that they had adjusted their recommendation for administering booster shots of mRNA vaccines from a minimum of 6 months after the last shot to a minimum of 4 months. The recommendation applies to everyone aged 16 or over, […]
Covid: Swiss government recommends vaccination of 5-11 year olds
This week, Switzerland’s federal government recommended two-dose Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11, reported RTS, in particular those suffering from chronic illness. On 10 December 2021, Swissmedic, Switzerland’s drug approval agency, announced its approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for use on children of this age. Once the vaccines are available for this age […]
Covid: government poised to act as new cases up 36% this week in Switzerland
This week, 30,254 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Switzerland, up 36% from the 22,206 recorded the week before. On a 7-day moving average basis the number of daily new cases was 4,322. The last time case numbers were this high in Switzerland was last winter, although the current level is below the peak. In line with […]
No explosion in side effects from Covid vaccines in Switzerland
Since vaccinations against Covid-19 began late last year in Switzerland 11.1 million shots have been administered to 5.8 million people. Over this period, 9,834 people have reported reactions coinciding with vaccination, of which 3,396 were considered serious, a ratio of around 1 serious report per 1,700 people. Swissmedic, Switzerland’s drug approval and monitoring agency, said […]
Covid: new cases up 45% this week in Switzerland
This week, 20,308 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Switzerland, up 45% from the 13,983 recorded the week before. On a 7-day moving average basis, the number of daily new cases was 2,901. Once the numbers catch up hospitalisations are likely to be higher this week than the week before. Last week 228 people entered hospital with […]
WHO describes Swiss vaccination strategy as a moral scandal
Tedros Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO has criticised Switzerland and other nations, describing elements of their Covid-19 vaccination strategies as a “moral scandal”, reported 20 Minutes. Over the weekend the SonntagsZeitung reported that Tedros Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, had described the fact that so far three quarters of all vaccinations had been administered […]
Covid: vaccine insights from rising infections in the UK
With high a vaccination rate – by 3 July 2021, 67% of the UK population had had at least one shot – and a steep resurgence in cases, the UK is the first nation to really test the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines. And the insights are significant. In the UK a project called ZOE is […]
Covid: restrictions could end in August, says Swiss health minister
On 30 May 2021, Alain Berset, Switzerland’s health minister said in an interview on RTS that he thought a return to normality could be possible in August 2021 if vaccinations progress as hoped. On 31 May 2021, Switzerland entered the stabilisation phase, the second last stage of its return to normality. Restaurants began welcoming guests […]
Covid: 50% of Switzerland might need to wait until late July for a vaccination
Under the federal government’s worst case scenario, 4.3 million adults representing 50% of Switzerland’s population might need to wait until the second half of July 2021 to receive an initial shot of vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This group of 4.3 million includes all adults under 65 who don’t have certified health issues that put […]
Covid: why is vaccination progress so slow in Switzerland?
When news of successful vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus was announced, many expected a relatively rapid transition back to normal life. However, more than two months since the first doses of vaccine were administered in Switzerland only 4.3% of the population has been fully vaccinated. Why has progress been so slow? The problem seems to […]