Vaccination chief expects booster jab by New Year

The booster vaccination is not for the general population, says the president of the Federal Vaccination Commission Keystone / Gaetan Bally

The Swiss government has hesitated about a third “booster” vaccination against Covid-19, but the president of the Federal Vaccination Commission predicts it should be available in Switzerland “in the November, December, January range”.

“So far, people fully vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine are very well protected against severe bouts of Covid. That is the case worldwide and that is the case in Switzerland,” Christoph Berger told Swiss public television, SRFExternal link.

“We’re preparing, we’re waiting for the approval, and then the recommendation for Switzerland will come based on the data.”

The US and France already give booster shots to older people, and Germany has recommended it since last week. In Israel a third vaccination has been administered since the summer.

Apparently with success: triple-vaccinated people in Israel are better protected against vaccine breakthroughs (individuals who test positive for Covid after complete vaccination) than double-vaccinated people, according to a study published in September. Recent data from the Israeli Ministry of Health show that people aged over 60 are best protected against severe Covid if they are triple vaccinated. There are many more severe cases among the double-vaccinated than among the triple-vaccinated. The most at risk are the unvaccinated.

Berger put the third jab into perspective. “The booster vaccination in Switzerland is definitely not for the general population, but it is targeted specifically at the oldest people.”

He said it still has to be defined whether it is recommended for people aged over 80 or over 75 and in other cases for others who are particularly at risk.

Entry form fines

In separate news, almost 200 holidaymakers returning to Switzerland have had to pay fines of CHF100 ($108) because they did not fill in the government’s online entry form.

Since the introduction of the provision on September 20, some 900,000 of these forms from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) have been used.

“Everyone entering Switzerland needs an entry form to enter the country. This can be filled out online or as a paper version at the earliest 48 hours before the journey,” the FOPH explained.

The government decided on this regulation to prevent an increase in Covid-19 infections after the autumn holidays. After the end of the summer holidays, the number of coronavirus cases jumped. Anyone caught at the Swiss border without entry forms faces a CHF100 fine, said the Federal Customs Administration, confirming a report in the SonntagsZeitungExternal link.