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VACCINE

Switzerland lines up fourth Covid-19 vaccine to help tackle pandemic

Health authorities in Switzerland are hoping that a new coronavirus vaccine will help boost Switzerland’s arsenal against Covid-19.

Published: 27 January 2021 09:37 CET
Switzerland lines up fourth Covid-19 vaccine to help tackle pandemic
The delivery of Pfizer vaccine is delayed. Photo by AFP

The Swiss government is reportedly negotiating a supply agreement for the vaccine with the American company Johnson & Johnson,  NZZ newspaper said. 

The company is expected to release results of a large clinical trial early next week.

Without specifically mentioning Johnson & Johnson, Nora Kroning from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) said last week that Switzerland continues “to be in negotiations, to see how we can boost volumes,” of the vaccine doses the country already has in stock.

If the deal goes through, Johnson & Johnson would be Switzerland’s fourth supplier of coronavirus vaccines, after Pfizer/BioNtech (3 million doses), Moderna (4.5 million) and AstraZeneca (5.3 million doses).

So far, only Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been approved for use in Switzerland and in the EU.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is different in that only a single dose would be enough to build up immunity, while the other vaccines require two doses to be administered four weeks apart.

Another advantage of this new vaccine is that it doesn’t have to be stored for months in the refrigerator.

READ MORE: IN NUMBERS: What's the latest on Switzerland's vaccination programme? 

There’s no set date on when Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine might be available in Switzerland, but it would likely take a few months, as it would have to be first tested for efficacy and safety by the country’s drug regulator, Swissmedic.

Switzerland needs the fourth vaccine to fill the gap left by the slowdown in the delivery of Pfizer doses, which is causing delays in the inoculation programme.

“Planning has become a huge headache. We have to modify our vaccination plan several times a day”, Laurent Paoliello, spokesperson for Geneva’s Department of Health, told Tribune de Genève. 

“These uncertainties are so problematic because it is necessary to know the dates and the quantity of deliveries in order  to ensure that people vaccinated today will receive their second dose one month later”, he added.

Other cantons are facing the same delays and, consequently, long wait periods for patients to get their shots.

READ MORE: MAPS: Which Swiss cantons are vaccinating fastest against coronavirus? 

 

 

 

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COVID-19

What does the increase in the number of Covid cases in Switzerland mean?

Coronavirus infections are on the rise again, with Swiss health officials and epidemiologists expressing concern over the possible evolution of the disease.

Published: 15 November 2023 15:32 CET
What does the increase in the number of Covid cases in Switzerland mean?

While the worst of the Covid pandemic is long over, and experts don’t expect it to re-emerge with the same strength and health consequences as it had in 2020, new cases have been reported in the past weeks.

Wastewater analysis, one of the means employed by health officials to measure the presence of coronavirus, indicates a viral load that is at least five times higher than usual, with values “now almost as high as in some previous Omicron-related waves,” Christoph Ort, spokesperson for Eawag Institute, which traces Covid viruses in 14 wastewater treatment plants in Switzerland, told the media.

What does this mean?

According to Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the most common sub-variant in Switzerland right now is the highly transmissible XBB, also known as ‘Kraken.’

The Eris and Pirola variants, which circulated in the summer and early fall are also still present.

While none is nearly as dangerous (at least for most people) as the early Alpha and Delta viruses, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the early stages of the pandemic, there is a reason for concern nevertheless.

“It’s a start of a small wave,” said Rudolf Hauri, head of the Cantonal Doctors’ Association.

“More people are being admitted to hospitals again with, or because of, coronavirus. There are also new cases in intensive care units, but these are generally people with a medical history.”

Should you be worried?
 
While the number of people with serious Covid-related complications is not expected to be as high as previously, the rise in the number of infections should not be trivialised either, infectious disease specialists say.
 
This is especially important for people in the high-risk category — those over 65 or suffering from chronic illnesses — who can get quite sick if infected with the new variants, according to FOPH.
 
This is all the more important as the flu season is about to begin in Switzerland as well, and the confluence of both illnesses, plus other respiratory viruses that typically circulate during the winter, can be very risky.
 
What can you do to protect yourself?
 
Other than adopting the same protective measures as those during the pandemic — that is, washing hands, avoiding close contacts and crowded spaces, and wearing masks where needed — health officials also recommend top-up shots, for both Covid and flu.

READ ALSO: Who should get top-up Covid and flu jabs in Switzerland?

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