Interior Minister Alain Berset, who announced the news on Wednesday, said the aim was to provide a “safe and efficient product of high-quality” for the population in Switzerland. The allocation of funds comes on top of CHF300 million approved earlier this year.
He added that several potential suppliers of the vaccine were considered, but it was not possible to say when a suitable product will be ready for distribution at some point next year.
The government has already placed reservations for several million shots of vaccine from the British-Swedish firm, AstraZeneca, and from the United States pharma company Moderna.
It is also in negotiations with Pfizer/Biontech and hopes to strike a deal for the delivery of another three million vaccines shortly.
However, Berset cautioned that the national regulator Swissmedic, will have to examine and approve a product before it can be distributed.
Vaccination strategy
In a first phase, the government aims to immunise people with a health risk. Berset reiterated there were no plans to declare vaccinations mandatory across the country.
Preparations coordinated by the armed forces are underway to organise the logistics for distributing the vaccines across the country when one or several products will be ready.
“Our primary goal is to improve the current health situation,” he said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Health officials estimate about 60-70% of the population must be inoculated against the new coronavirus to get the pandemic under control.
Berset said the current infection figures in Switzerland remained “alarming” even as the number of confirmed daily cases has begun to stabilise over the past few days.
On Wednesday, the Federal Office for Public Health reported 8,270 new cases of Covid-19 infections bringing the total number up to more than 243,000 cases.
Berset said it was crucial to reduce the coronavirus reproduction rate well beyond 1 to prevent overburdening hospitals and health staff.
More
More
Swiss Politics
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
One person consumes 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity
This content was published on
On average, the Swiss consume 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity per year. According to Velobiz.de, this is roughly equivalent to the amount generated by all 176 cyclists in the Tour de France during the entire race.
Outgoing ICRC chief in Ukraine defends neutrality amid war
This content was published on
Swiss national Jürg Eglin, outgoing head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine, reflects on his tenure.
Green party leader criticises government’s neo-liberal policy
This content was published on
The Green Party delegates' meeting opened on Saturday morning in Vicques (JU) with a speech by party president Lisa Mazzone. Mazzone took particular aim at the Federal Council's policy towards the United States.
Working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being, says Swiss study
This content was published on
A study by the University of Bern shows that working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being and particularly affects women.
Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has fined private bank J. Safra Sarasin CHF3.5 million for aggravated money laundering. A former bank employee received a six-month suspended prison sentence.
JPMorgan to pay CHF270 million to settle 1MDB claims
This content was published on
JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay CHF270 million to the Malaysian government to settle all issues related to its role in the 1MDB financial scandal.
Famine confirmed in Gaza for first time, says UN-backed report
This content was published on
Famine has been declared in a northern part of the Gaza Strip, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system.
Zurich Airport ground handling staff to strike on Friday
This content was published on
Ground handling staff at Zurich Airport have announced a strike for Friday afternoon. According to a union, 200 jobs are at risk.
This content was published on
Philippe Lazzarini will step down as head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) at the end of his term in March, he announced on Thursday.
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
Why Swiss participation in WHO’s Covid-19 vaccine plan matters
This content was published on
As the second coronavirus wave makes finding vaccines even more urgent, we look at Swiss participation in the WHO's vaccine pool.
This content was published on
Switzerland confirms participation in WHO COVAX initiative aimed at ensuring equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines when they are approved.
This content was published on
The Swiss therapeutic products agency has begun reviewing another anti-Covid 19 vaccine in the rolling submission procedure.
Swiss factory rushes to prepare for Moderna Covid-19 vaccine
This content was published on
Workers are racing to set up production lines at the Lonza factory in Visp to be able to start making a vaccine for US firm Moderna later this year.
Half of Swiss would get vaccinated against Covid-19
This content was published on
If there were an efficient vaccination against coronavirus, every second person in Switzerland would take it, says a survey.
Lausanne hospital test chosen for coronavirus study
This content was published on
A test developed at Lausanne university hospital has been chosen for wide-scale coronavirus antibody studies of the Swiss population.
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.