The numbers, that were first published in 20 Minuten, were confirmed by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) on Monday. In total, 362 fully vaccinated people were infected and 86 of them had to be hospitalised.
The FOPH believes that these numbers are probably an underestimate because many people who were infected despite being vaccinated have not been registered. Even if the real figure is probably higher, it is within the expected range, according to the FOPH.
It is not possible to determine how many of these 18 deaths in Switzerland are due to the Delta variant. The estimated proportion of new infections with the delta mutation is currently 96.7% in the seven-day average.
Still at risk
The vaccines administered in Switzerland – Moderna and Pfizer/Biontech – do not offer 100% protection. According to the manufacturer, the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine offers 88% protection against the Delta variant. A U.S. study suggests similar figures for Moderna’s vaccine. However, these figures are disputed: an Israeli study estimates that the protection offered by both vaccines is only around 65%.
Currently, a little over 4.8 million of 8.6 million Swiss residents have been fully vaccinated. If the 88% protection against the coronavirus claimed by the manufacturers is correct, more than 570,000 can potentially be reinfected despite receiving two doses of vaccine. The figure is triple if the Israeli study, citing an efficacy of 65%, is used as a reference.
The FOPH considers that two doses of messenger RNA vaccine offer good protection against the current variants of the virus. The health authorities are not currently planning a booster vaccination campaign but are monitoring the situation closely.
Related Stories
Popular Stories
More
Demographics
Roger Federer is not eternal, but he changed tennis forever
Japanese film Tabi to Hibi wins Golden Leopard at Locarno
This content was published on
The Japanese film Tabi to Hibi by director Sho Miyake won the Golden Leopard, the top prize in the international competition, on the final day of the Locarno Festival.
Switzerland could produce up to 5Mt of emissions annually by 2050
This content was published on
Two to five megatonnes of CO2 equivalents per year: this is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that Switzerland is still expected to produce annually in 2050, a new study shows.
US tariffs putting 100,000 jobs at risk in Switzerland
This content was published on
US tariffs of 39% on Swiss imports will directly affect 100,000 jobs, mainly in the watchmaking, machinery, metals, and food industries, economiesuisse warns.
This content was published on
Switzerland has released CHF4 million (nearly $5 million) to help Sudan, which has been severely affected by famine and cholera.
Switzerland rejects new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory
This content was published on
Switzerland says it rejects the announced construction of thousands of housing units in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank.
Larry Finck and André Hoffmann named interim co-chairs of WEF board
This content was published on
The WEF also revealed an investigation commissioned by the board has cleared its founder Klaus Schwab and his wife of accusations made by anonymous whistleblowers.
Vice-president of German parliament in favour of Switzerland joining EU
This content was published on
The vice-president of the Bundestag says his country should support closer ties between Switzerland and the European Union given the customs conflict with the United States.
Lindt & Sprüngli reportedly considering shifting Easter bunny production to US
This content was published on
Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli could relocate the production of its gold-wrapped Easter bunnies to the US in order to circumvent the import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Swiss petition launched against curbing 30km/h speed limit
This content was published on
The Traffic Club of Switzerland (TCS) has submitted a petition to the Federal Chancellery, challenging the 30km/h speed limit on local roads.
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…
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.