Moderna is one of three vaccine manufacturers to have reached supply deals with Switzerland.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved
Switzerland has increased its coronavirus vaccine order with Moderna by three million doses. This Alpine country now has 15.8 million doses of vaccines on order from three different manufacturers, pending approval from the health regulator.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
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 to enough vaccines to cover 20% of the Swiss population.
Health regulator Swissmedic is currently evaluating the safety of several vaccine candidates under its “rolling procedure”, which allows manufacturers to submit the results of test studies in stages. So far, no vaccine has yet been approved.
On Wednesday, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said it had reached an agreement with Moderna to extend the use of its Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Sdiagnostic tool to speed up testing of its vaccine.
“To enhance our understanding of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 there would be a benefit in knowing the starting levels of antibodies a person has, prior to vaccination, in order to evaluate any change in antibody levels that the vaccine induces,” Roche stated in a press release.
The Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Sdiagnostic tool was granted emergency use authorisation by the US health authorities last month.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
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?
Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025
This content was published on
A man flew a drone around the venue on Wednesday evening during the first match of the Women's EURO 2025 in St. Gallen. The 30-year-old violated the absolute ban on flying during match days. He was reported to the police.
More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative
This content was published on
A total of 257 companies from Switzerland have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, they are committing to CO2 reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Swiss accident prevention group sees federal targets at risk
This content was published on
The Swiss government's target for accident figures is at risk, reckons Mario Cavegn, member of the executive board of the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention.
Feminicide: Swiss justice minister calls for electronic monitoring
This content was published on
Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans has called for electronic monitoring and an ankle bracelet warning system for perpetrators of violence against women.
This content was published on
American artist Chaka Khan ‘and friends’ opened the 59th Montreux Jazz Festival on Friday. For over three hours, their show, dedicated to their friend and mentor Quincy Jones, thrilled the audience,
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.
Read more
More
Incomplete data stalls Swiss authorisation of Covid-19 vaccines
This content was published on
Switzerland’s medical regulator says it lacks the necessary information to sign off on three different vaccines ordered by the government.
Switzerland secures three million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
This content was published on
Some 4.5 million doses of another vaccine have already been agreed with United States pharma company Moderna and another 5.3 million doses from the British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca. The government said on MondayExternal link that membership of the World Health Organization COVAXExternal link initiative grants vaccine coverage to 20% of the Swiss population. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine would require…
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.
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.