All seven members of the government are to get the jab, with 70-year-old Ueli Maurer first up. They thus hope to reassure a sceptical public. Health Minister Alain Berset reminded the public on Saturday, when Swissmedic announced the authorisation of the first Covid-19 vaccine, that the vaccine was free and not compulsory.
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A third are eager to be vaccinated against Covid-19
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Just over 35% of people surveyed in Switzerland want to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as possible.
To achieve a sufficient level of immunity in the population, it will take “from a few months to a year. In the best case, six months”, according to Virginie Masserey, who heads infectious diseases at the Federal Office of Public Health. “It’s hard to say. It depends on how quickly the public wants to get vaccinated.”
Almost 107,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be delivered in the next few days, and 250,000 a month from January.
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First Covid-19 vaccine approved for Swiss use
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Swiss health regulator Swissmedic has approved the coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech.
The green light from Swissmedic on Saturday has prompted the cantons to review their vaccination schedules, which had initially been planned for the beginning of January. Most will set up vaccination centres and mobile teams.
Canton Lucerne will kick off the vaccination marathon on December 23, followed by Basel City, Fribourg and Valais on December 28. The other cantons in central Switzerland, including Zurich, will start on January 4, unless they join Lucerne and begin earlier.
Jura, which still faces uncertainty about storage and delivery, will also begin on January 4. Neuchâtel and Vaud, which had set campaign launch dates of January 4 and 11 respectively, are meeting on Monday to discuss the situation. Geneva will unveil its vaccination plan on Tuesday.
The public health department in Italian-speaking canton Ticino said on Saturday that the first doses of the Covid vaccine would be delivered at the beginning of January.
Bern is sticking to its plan to start vaccinations on January 11.
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Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
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An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss central banker wants to boost equity to head off risks
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Equity levels at the Swiss National Bank (SNB) are much too low for the risks its large balance sheet poses, according to Martin Schlegel.
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
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The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
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Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
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Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
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New anti-corona measures: restaurants closed, ski areas open
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Switzerland to close restaurants, bars for a month from Tuesday to curb the spread of the coronavirus, ski areas remain open, the government says.
Emergency vaccine approval not legal option in Switzerland
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Emergency approval process used by some countries to speed up the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines is not a legal option in Switzerland, Swissmedic says.
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