The move comes as vaccination rates stall across the country, despite there being plenty of vaccines available.
Last week around 60,000 corona jabs were being administered a day; at the campaign highpoint it was more than 90,000, the newspaper says. The target is 75-80% of the population being immunised.
More
More
Swiss vaccination rate sees sharp drop in recent weeks
This content was published on
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.
Hospital figures for the canton of St Gallen published on July 8External link show that people from a migrant background have been more badly affected by the coronavirus: foreigners accounted for 38.6% of intensive care patients (they make up 24% of the cantonal population). Possible reasons: some migrants work jobs that do not allow working from home and a lack of access to information on the virus, the newspaper said.
Thomas Steffen, cantonal doctor for Basel City, told the newspaper that a lack of information (where to go and who pays) was also a factor in vaccination take-up among some groups of the migrant population.
Crucial phase
The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) says the current phase in the vaccination campaign is crucial.
Adrian Kammer, head of campaigns at FOPH, told SonntagsBlick: “We need to step it up a notch again to remind young adults in particular that now is a good time to get vaccinated”.
FOPH has previously said that women, young people and those in rural areas are less likely to get the jab.
Kammer said that social media is an important channel for reaching the migrant population in particular. “Migration organisations are intensifying the FOPH campaignExternal link on their Facebook pages and cantons are sending out vaccination information via WhatsApp groups,” he told SonntagsBlick. In addition, information on jabs and hygiene measures has been translated into more than 20 languages.
FOPH has also been working with channels like Diaspora TV (which has programmes in eight languages) and other media to spread information about the vaccines. According to an article in Saturday’s Der BundExternal link, an aim will be debunking some of the rumours and false news about vaccine side effects.
Access to vaccinations for migrants must also be improved, said Andrea Feller, deputy head of the health department at the Swiss Red CrossExternal link.
“User tests have shown that many migrants who don’t know the local language well find it hard to register for the vaccine. The procedure is too complicated,” she told SonntagsBlick. Mobile vaccination centres and walk-in appointments would help solve the problem, she said.
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?
Switzerland wants to examine cooperation with the EU in the defence sector
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to examine a security and defence partnership with the EU. Exploratory talks are to begin as soon as possible. Among other things, the partnership would be used for defence procurement.
Swiss trial shows organic farming is 85% as productive as conventional agriculture
This content was published on
This is shown by the results of a globally unique open-air trial that has been running for 47 years in Therwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft.
Nestlé fined by Swiss canton for illegally filtered water
This content was published on
Nestlé has been fined CHF 500,000 in the canton of Vaud for the unauthorised use of activated carbon filters in the production of mineral water. The filters were used to produce Henniez water from 2008 to 2022.
Swiss government proposes restrictions on Ukrainian refugees
This content was published on
Only those whose life and limb are at risk in Ukraine and who flee to Switzerland are to be granted S status in future. The remaining Ukrainian refugees should apply for asylum. This is what the Federal Council is proposing.
This content was published on
The Fribourg parliament approved a sum of CHF6.4 million to renovate the ramparts, the walkway and the towers, as well as to replace the exterior lighting.
Swiss rental housing listings increase for the first time in three years
This content was published on
For the first time in three years, the number of advertisements for rental accommodation is on the rise, but this does not dampen demand, quite the contrary. In Ticino, the average duration of an advertisement published on the main portals is 30 days.
Switzerland doing relatively well when it comes to child vaccination rates
This content was published on
Progress in child immunisation has stalled. For decades, the number of children vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases has risen. But since 2010, vaccination rates have stagnated in many countries, according to a study.
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.