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COVID-19

Switzerland to introduce coronavirus a vaccine certificate ‘by summer’

Swiss authorities said Wednesday they were planning to roll out by summer a certificate for residents who have been vaccinated against the new coronavirus.

Published: 24 March 2021 19:03 CET
Switzerland to introduce coronavirus a vaccine certificate 'by summer'
Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP

Like a number of other countries, Switzerland also said Wednesday it plans to roll out a travel certificate to help allow those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 to move more freely.

“We aim for summer,” coronavirus taskforce chief Anne Levy told reporters, adding that it was “a challenging task but a realistic aim.”

The document would be secure and recognised internationally, she said, adding that Bern was coordinating work towards the certificate with the neighbouring European Union.

‘Green pass’: Everything you need to know about the coronavirus immunity card in Switzerland

So far, fewer than half a million people are fully vaccinated in Switzerland, but health authorities have said they expect to be able to offer jabs to all residents who want them within the next few months.

On Wednesday, the Swiss rate stood at 523 new infections per 100,000 people.

The country of 8.6 million people has to date counted nearly 585,500 cases of Covid-19, and close to 9,500 deaths.

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COVID-19

Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

Sweden's Public Health Agency is recommending that those above the age of 80 should receive two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine a year, once in the spring and once in the autumn, as it shifts towards a longer-term strategy for the virus.

Published: 23 December 2022 10:53 CET
Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

In a new recommendation, the agency said that those living in elderly care centres, and those above the age of 80 should from March 1st receive two vaccinations a year, with a six month gap between doses. 

“Elderly people develop a somewhat worse immune defence after vaccination and immunity wanes faster than among young and healthy people,” the agency said. “That means that elderly people have a greater need of booster doses than younger ones. The Swedish Public Health Agency considers, based on the current knowledge, that it will be important even going into the future to have booster doses for the elderly and people in risk groups.” 

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People between the ages of 65 and 79 years old and young people with risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, poor kidney function or high blood pressure, are recommended to take one additional dose per year.

The new vaccination recommendation, which will start to apply from March 1st next year, is only for 2023, Johanna Rubin, the investigator in the agency’s vaccination programme unit, explained. 

She said too much was still unclear about how long protection from vaccination lasted to institute a permanent programme.

“This recommendation applies to 2023. There is not really an abundance of data on how long protection lasts after a booster dose, of course, but this is what we can say for now,” she told the TT newswire. 

It was likely, however, that elderly people would end up being given an annual dose to protect them from any new variants, as has long been the case with influenza.

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