Swiss President says vaccine booster shot may soon be available for all
The "Back on Tour" concerts were part of a week-long drive to get more people vaccinated. But in the western Swiss city of Lausanne, for example, only 60 people turned up out of 350 tickets all taken. Anti-vaccination campaigners are suspected of sabotage.
Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
Swiss President Guy Parmelin has drawn a mixed assessment of the national “vaccination” week now drawing to a close.
This content was published on
2 minutes
RTS/JC
Português
pt
Presidente suíço diz que reforço da vacina estará disponível em breve
In an interview on FridayExternal link with public broadcaster RTS, he said he was “sad” that some of the free concerts organised as part of vaccination week had apparently been sabotaged by opponents of government coronavirus policies. “It’s sad for the artists themselves and for people who would have liked to go to the concert, get informed or even take the step of vaccination,” he told RTS.
The week was designed to encourage more of the Swiss population, especially young people, to get the Covid-19 jab. It has included a number of free concerts accessible without a Covid certificate where people could get vaccine information and a jab on-site. In several towns including Lausanne only a few dozen people showed up, whereas all the tickets had been taken online. Media reports suggest that anti-vaccination campaigners snatched them up without intending to use them.
Parmelin nevertheless remained positive. “A certain number of people were vaccinated, perhaps not as many as we would have liked. We will learn from this and see what happens next.” He stressed what he called the “very clear” correlation between vaccination rates and incidence of Covid-19 infection. “Where there has been a lot of vaccination, for example in certain French-speaking cantons, the incidence rate is much lower than in other cantons where the vaccination rate is low,” he said.
Parmelin said the government would continue to review its Covid-19 policy in light of events and new knowledge, as it has done regularly. He pointed out that it has already launched a third vaccine shot for people over 65 and those with weak immune systems, saying this booster might soon be offered to everyone. “I think that the Federal Council will soon be able to take the decision to extend the third vaccination to the entire population if it so wishes,” Parmelin told RTS.
More
More
Cantons gear up for crucial Covid vaccination drive
This content was published on
A series of special events is set to go live as Switzerland heads into a week-long offensive to increase Covid vaccine uptake.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Zurich arbitration authority rules in favour of tenants of ‘Sugus Houses’
This content was published on
A conciliation authority says the terminations of 105 flat leases in the so-called "Sugus Houses" in the centre of Zurich were abusive. The tenants therefore do not have to move out - at least for the time being.
This content was published on
Visitors to Switzerland spent CHF19.6 billion ($23.9 billion) last year, a 2.2% rise compared to the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said on Monday.
This content was published on
Despite the current tense economic situation, Swiss consumer sentiment remains positive. The Swiss spent more money in May than the previous year, particularly on restaurant visits and leisure activities, as shown by the latest figures released by PostFinance.
This content was published on
A bear killed four sheep in the Lower Engadine region near Scuol, canton Graubünden, last week. This was the first bear attack on local livestock in four years.
This content was published on
Experts believe that economic development in Switzerland will be weaker in 2026 than the forecasts made three months ago. They have also lowered their predictions for the current year.
This content was published on
Fewer people in Switzerland have a religious affiliation and the proportion who practice their religion regularly is steadily declining, a survey finds.
Study: trees have major cooling effect even in extreme heat
This content was published on
Plane trees in cities have an important cooling effect even in extreme heat, according to a new study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL).
EPFL launches digitised version of Battle of Murten panorama
This content was published on
To mark the anniversary of the Battle of Murten on 22 June 1476, the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) has launched a website that offers the public an immersive experience of the huge panorama painting of the historic battle.
77th Swiss Gymnastics Festival praised for ‘positive energy’
This content was published on
The 77th Federal Gymnastics Festival drew to a close on Sunday in Lausanne, after eleven days of popular celebration and sporting performances.
This content was published on
It warned that these diseases could once again gain a deadly foothold if more children were not inoculated. Launching a nationwide information campaign in Bern on Monday, health officials said they would like 90-95 per cent of children and young adults to be vaccinated against a range of potentially fatal diseases. Currently, about 80 per…
This content was published on
The president of the Federal Vaccination Commission predicts it should be available “in the November, December, January range”.
Many Swiss could prefer wider vaccine choice, survey finds
This content was published on
The representative survey by research group Sotomo, reported in the SonntagsZeitung, was carried out in July, well before the introduction of the Covid certificate obligation this week. However, according to experts interviewed by the paper, it could be a sign that Switzerland’s vaccination campaign would be boosted by making available other jabs which don’t use…
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.