“Switzerland has been playing too tactically and has only ordered from potential manufacturers a fraction of the vaccine it really needs,” declared former vice-director of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) Andreas Faller in the SonntagsZeitung newspaper on January 3.
“Switzerland should have taken a certain risk by ordering a sufficient quantity from each manufacturer for the entire population. People are dying, the economy is damaged, every minute is precious. It is incomprehensible that the FOPH was so hesitant in purchasing the vaccine.”
The Swiss government’s goal is to inoculate six million people by summer, which means up to 70,000 vaccine shots per day. Eleven of the country’s 26 cantons had already begun administering jabs by the end of 2020. A further crop, including Zurich – the biggest region in Switzerland – are beginning their campaigns on Monday January 4.
Switzerland has reserved 15.8 million doses of vaccines from three different manufacturers. So far it has received an initial batch of 107,000 Covid-19 vaccines; 250,000 more will follow in January. The first vaccinations started on December 23 with cantons bringing forward their vaccination campaigns.
More
More
Covid-19 vaccine: Why we still have a long wait ahead
This content was published on
Countries have started rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine, but it will likely take years to manufacture doses at the scale needed to reach the masses.
Rudolf Minsch, chief economist at the influential business lobby group ÉconomieSuisse, also bemoaned the slow vaccine rollout and its potential impact on the economy.
“Switzerland has the second most expensive healthcare system in the world. If we do not manage to vaccinate the population by the summer, I do not understand it at all,” he told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.
“Unforgivable” delays
An editorial in the Sunday paper was scathing about the national vaccination campaign.
“Various cantons are still in the preparatory stages of a vaccination campaign that was foreseeable a long time ago. In particular, the necessary registration system – we are talking about standard software – is not available everywhere. This is unforgivable,” it wrote.
In a separate interview in the SonntagsBlick Sunday newspaper, Swiss President Guy Parmelin admitted errors in the management of the pandemic.
“Between July and September, we underestimated the situation,” he told the Sunday paper.
He said coordination and understanding between the federal authorities and the cantons were not always optimal. “It was and is not always easy,” he said.
“The [Covid] measures taken have always been a weighing of interests between health, the economy and the population’s attitude. It is not all black or all white,” he added.
SonntagsBlick meanwhile reported that the percentage of people willing to be vaccinated in Switzerland had risen from 41% to 50%, according to a University of Zurich survey. But almost one in three of those surveyed said they did not want to be vaccinated at present and around 20% were still undecided.
Among those over 50, almost 60% say they want to be immunised. Among 15- to 49-year-olds, only 40% are willing to be vaccinated. While around 56% of men are open to a Covid vaccination, only 43% of women are prepared, the report found.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Watches belonging to Michael Schumacher up for auction
This content was published on
Schumacher's family is auctioning off eight rare watches from his collection in Geneva. The Christie's auction will take place on Monday.
Joya Marleen and Baschi named best solo acts at Swiss Music Awards
This content was published on
St. Gallen singer Joya Marleen and Baschi from Basel were named artists of the year at the Swiss Music Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
This content was published on
The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
This content was published on
In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Swiss factory rushes to prepare for Moderna Covid-19 vaccine
This content was published on
Workers are racing to set up production lines at the Lonza factory in Visp to be able to start making a vaccine for US firm Moderna later this year.
This content was published on
The Swiss government increased its previous order with the US biotechnology company for its mRNA vaccine to a new total of 7.5 million doses, it was announced on Tuesday. Earlier this week, Switzerland added a vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech to its desired stockpile list. Switzerland’s membership of the World Health Organization COVAXExternal link initiative would also grant access…
Why Switzerland’s Moderna Covid-19 vaccine deal is risky
This content was published on
Switzerland’s vaccine order – its first such move – is a sign that it holds little hope for fair distribution of a Covid-19 shot.
This content was published on
With a death toll of over 5,000, Switzerland (population 8.5 million) expects to launch its coronavirus vaccination campaign in early January.
Join the conversation!