Swiss vaccination rate sees sharp drop in recent weeks
Switzerland now has a surplus of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses.
Keystone / Laurent Gillieron
The pace of vaccination in Switzerland has dropped sharply since mid-June, and the pool of people willing to be vaccinated may soon be exhausted, according to Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
Unless the trend is reversed, this means the percentage of the population vaccinated is more likely to end up at 60% than Health Minister Alain Berset’s stated target of 80%, RTS reports in an analysis of recent statistics from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
The number of vaccine doses administered has dropped from a record high of nearly 650,000 in the second week of June to below 450,000 three weeks later – a fall of 30%. It has fallen from a peak of around 90,000 jabs a day to 63,000 (week ending July 4). Almost all those ready to be vaccinated immediately will have been vaccinated very soon, writes RTS.
This comes as only 52% of people living in Switzerland have received at least one dose. The best protected are now 70- to 79-year-olds, who have overtaken people over 80. For the under 70s, the vaccination rate falls with age group.
RTS writes that some people may be waiting until they return from summer holidays to sign up for the jab, so a rise in the vaccination rate is possible in the autumn. Nevertheless, Switzerland now has a surplus of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses, and management of these perishable stocks could become a burning issue at a time when developing countries are short of vaccines.
Although the number of coronavirus cases remains relatively low in Switzerland, it has started to creep up again. The Delta variant is making inroads, accounting for roughly 30% of new cases by early July. In total, 7.9 million vaccine doses were administered between late December and July 7. Around 38% of the population are fully vaccinated.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Higher direct payments fail to curb scrub encroachment on alpine pastures
This content was published on
The scrub encroachment on Swiss alpine pastures leads to the loss of grassland and damages the typical landscape. It is also responsible for the decline in biodiversity. Despite higher direct payments, the bushes continue to spread.
Swiss population satisfied with life according to survey
This content was published on
In a survey, the population of German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland expressed general satisfaction with their lives. Respondents were less happy with politics and their personal finances, according to the online comparison service Moneyland.
WHO ‘extremely concerned’ about growing vaccination scepticism
This content was published on
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), vaccination scepticism and a collapse in funding for vaccination campaigns pose a major threat to the health of the world's population.
High-net-worth individuals prioritise well-being over material possessions
This content was published on
The priorities of wealthy private individuals have shifted against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions and trade disputes. While spending on luxury goods is declining, demand for travel and experiences is unabated.
Swiss researchers sequence genome of 1918 Spanish flu virus
This content was published on
Researchers from the Universities of Basel and Zurich (UZH) have sequenced the genome of the Spanish flu virus, thanks to a sample taken from an 18-year-old Swiss boy who died in the city on the Limmat in 1918, when the pandemic spread around the world.
Swiss martyr beatified in Barcelona by Catholic Church
This content was published on
François-Benjamin May (1870-1909), a member of the Marist Brothers congregation, has been recognised as a 'blessed' by the Catholic Church.
This content was published on
The Swiss government has set out plans to contain the impact of a potential new wave of Covid-19 infections later this year.
This content was published on
The vast majority of Swiss people (73%) wants to get inoculated, according to survey results published by the German-language newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende. Fifteen percent remain undecided and 12% oppose vaccination – compared to 28% in November. “The willingness to be vaccinated is increasing rapidly,” says Marcel Zbinden, an occupational psychologist at the Lucerne University…
This content was published on
At the start of the year, the Swiss authorities were criticised for dragging their heels on vaccinations despite having ambitious targets. Drugs regulator Swissmedic took longer than many countries to approve new vaccines and when they arrived there were large discrepancies between the ability of cantons to administer doses at speed. But this week, Switzerland…
In the vaccine race, can COVAX help poorer countries catch up?
This content was published on
COVAX expects to start rolling out Covid-19 vaccines to poorer countries at the end of February. Can it really help them catch up?
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.