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HEALTH

Will Switzerland’s rejection of the AstraZeneca vaccine delay vaccinations?

Switzerland has promised its vaccination plan will not be delayed despite the rejection of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Published: 3 February 2021 17:21 CET
Updated: 5 February 2021 14:23 CET
Will Switzerland’s rejection of the AstraZeneca vaccine delay vaccinations?
A sign asking people to wait at a vaccine centre in Germany. photo: AFP

Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset said on Wednesday that he did not expect the rejection of the AstraZeneca vaccine to have an impact on the country’s vaccine rollout. 

“I think it does not affect the vaccination strategy” Berset said when he was asked about the impact of the decision on the country’s vaccine scheme. 

Nora Kronig from the Federal Office of Public Health was even more certain that the decision would not result in delays, with Switzerland making deals with three further vaccine providers on Wednesday. 

'Insufficient data': Switzerland declines to approve AstraZeneca vaccine 

“We are reluctant to make predictions because that depends on various factors. What can be said is we are on track, with the new contracts we can achieve our goal by the end of summer.”

The Swiss regulatory authority Swissmedic said Wednesday that data submitted by AstraZeneca were not sufficient for it to authorise use of the Anglo-Swedish firm's Covid vaccine, saying “new studies” were needed.

The decision is not final, with the Swiss government instead saying more data on the safety, efficacy and quality of the vaccine is needed to make an accurate approval assessment. 

“The data currently available do not point to a positive decision regarding benefits and risks,” Swissmedic said in a statement. 

17 mn more doses

Switzerland, which kicked off vaccination against the deadly coronavirus in late December, meanwhile announced that it had signed three more contracts to acquire another 17 million vaccine doses.

The country of 8.5 million people said it had reached an agreement with Germany's Curevac, whose vaccine is in Phase 3 trials, and the Swedish government for the delivery of five million doses.

It said it had also signed a preliminary agreement with US firm Novavax for six million doses.

READ MORE: Why has Zurich's coronavirus vaccination plan been delayed? 

These will add two new vaccines to the Swiss portfolio, if they are approved by regulators.

At the same time, the Swiss government had also signed a deal to acquire an additional six million doses of the Moderna vaccine, bringing the total number of those jabs available in Switzerland to 13.5 million.

In addition, the government has signed deals for access to around three million Pfizer-BioNTech doses and 5.3 million AstraZeneca doses.

 

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HEALTH INSURANCE

Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?

The Swiss health system is ranked among the best in the world, but some essentials, like glasses, aren't automatically covered by health insurance. That could soon change, however

Published: 16 May 2024 15:06 CEST
Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?

Green Party Federal Councillor Katharina Prelicz-Huber revealed in an interview with newspaper 20 Minuten this week that the Federal Parliament had tabled a motion to include prescription glasses and contact lenses in Switzerland’s mandatory health insurance scheme. 

Prelicz-Huber stated: “The purpose of compulsory health insurance is to provide the services you need to get or stay healthy,”

The motion forms part of the legislation that will be voted on during the 2024 summer session of the Federal Council. 

Proposed changes 

According to Switzerland’s peak optician body, 4 in 5 Swiss wear glasses or contact lenses at some point. 

It’s no surprise that statistics repository, Statista, projects the Swiss eyewear industry to be worth €1.37 billion by 2028. 

Currently, glasses and contact lenses are covered for up to 180 francs for children until age eighteen, if they are proscribed by a doctor.

Adults can also claim money back for glasses and contact lenses – however, they must be suffering from one of a short list of specific conditions such as keratoconus – where the cornea is distorted – or severe myopia, otherwise known as near-sightedness.

They must also have been specifically prescribed them by a doctor or optometrist. 

Otherwise, supplemental optical insurance must be purchased in Switzerland to ensure you can recoup the cost. 

Under the Green Party proposal, glasses, contact lenses, and other visual aids would be covered, regardless of age. 

Rising premiums prompt opposition 

Not everybody agrees with the proposal. 

The right-wing SVP has already spoken out against it, with Federal Councillor Diana Gutjahr arguing: “If we seriously want to slow down the burdensome and constantly rising health costs for the benefit of the population, we [must] show the political will not to constantly expand the benefits of compulsory health insurance.”

A spokesman for the the health insurance advocacy group Santesuisse, Matthias Müller, echoed Gutjahr, claiming that insurance constitutes “financing for extraordinary events such as illness.”

“If almost everyone benefits from a certain service, it is no longer an insurance benefit.”

A date for the vote has yet to be announced. 

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