Many cantons are unready for big Covid-19 booster campaign, says paper
Currently, Covid booster jabs are recommended for the over 65s and vulnerable people in Switzerland.
Keystone / Michael Buholzer
Cantonal authorities in Switzerland are unprepared for a major campaign to administer booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines to the under-65s, reports the SonntagsZeitung newspaper.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SonntagsZeitung/Keystone-SDA/sb
Currently, Covid booster jabs are recommended for the over 65s and vulnerable people; local authorities have started administering doses. There is much speculation in Switzerland about when booster shots will be ready for the under-65s.
According to the SonntagsZeitung newspaperExternal link, many cantons will be unable to offer a third vaccination dose to under 65s until 2022 because they have reduced capacity. Bookings for booster jabs are reserved mainly for older people until Christmas, the paper said after contacting health authorities in Bern, Basel, Zurich and Lucerne.
In canton Bern, for example, much of the vaccination infrastructure used this year has been dismantled and vaccination centres have been closed.
In the paper, Zurich hospital doctor Huldrych Günthard criticises the cantons for their slow approach. He says the army should be deployed to accelerate the booster campaign.
With boosters on the horizon, Tobias Bär, spokesperson for the Conference of Cantonal Health Directors, last week defended the cantons. He told BlickExternal link newspaper that the authorities should be able to handle the demand for boosters.
“Unlike the start of the vaccination campaign a year ago, there will be less pressure this time around,” he declared.
More
More
Sunday papers: Covid booster shot may come ‘soon’
This content was published on
The Covid-19 vaccine booster may be available to younger people this year, according to interviews in the Sunday press.
Last week federal health officials announced that a booster jab should be validated soon for people under 65. The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the Federal Vaccination Commission need to adapt the vaccination recommendation.
Health officials say a Covid booster jab should take place at the earliest six months after a second vaccination.
In summer the number of Covid jabs peaked at over 90,000 a day; in recent weeks fewer than 20,000 jabs a day have been administered. Around 65% of the population has been double-jabbed.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swatch shareholders reject board bid by Steven Wood
This content was published on
At the Swiss watchmaker’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 79.2% of votes cast opposed his election to the supervisory board.
WHO members agree to 20% rise in mandatory contributions
This content was published on
If the resolution is backed in the plenary session, the organisation’s budget for 2026-2027 will rise to CHF4.2 billion ($5.1 billion).
Japanese inflatable concert hall heads to Switzerland for the first time
This content was published on
The Ark Nova has been assembled four times to date – each time in a Japanese city. But this September, it’s heading to the Lucerne Festival.
Swiss government pledges CHF11 million to UNRWA amid Gaza crisis
This content was published on
Switzerland will contribute CHF20 million to meet urgent humanitarian needs in the occupied Palestinian territory and to support UNRWA operations.
While Switzerland struggles to vaccinate, Portugal is already finished
This content was published on
Nowhere are more people vaccinated against Covid-19 than in Portugal, where 98% of over 25-year-olds have had both doses.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.