Monkeypox vaccine to arrive in Switzerland by early November

A nurse prepares a syringe with the monkeypox vaccine in the Brooklyn borough of New York in August 2022. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

The Swiss authorities have finally concluded a contract for 40,000 vaccine doses of monkeypox vaccine. The first doses will arrive in early November and the rest will follow by the end of the year, the health authorities said on Friday.

The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) confirmedExternal link that it had finalised a contract with the company Bavarian Nordic for the delivery of the long-awaited vaccine doses. The army will deliver the vaccines to the cantons when they arrive.

A further 60,000 doses have been purchased for the army and will be delivered in 2023.

The monkeypox wave in Switzerland seems to have peaked with just over 500 infections in September. Since then, the number of cases has been falling sharply. Last week just five new cases of monkeypox were registered. Most of the reported cases have been among gay men. Cantons Vaud, Geneva and Zurich have been the worst affected regions.

Pink Cross, the umbrella organisation of gay organisations, said on Friday that it was relieved that the vaccine would soon be available in Switzerland. However, it said the unsatisfactory procurement process should be reviewed.

The organisation had repeatedly criticised the Swiss government for its delay in signing contracts to procure a vaccine against monkeypox. People in Switzerland at risk of the disease have had to wait months for the vaccine while other countries in the European Union launched inoculation campaigns long ago.