At an online summit of the GAVI allianceExternal link on Wednesday, attended by Swiss President Guy Parmelin, a total of CHF2.16 billion and 54 million additional vaccine shots were pledged by dozens of countries to the COVAX vaccine-sharing pool.
The COVAX mechanism, which has distributed 77 million doses to 127 countries, aims to accelerate access to 1.8 billion vaccine doses, covering nearly 30% of poorer nations’ populations.
More
More
In the vaccine race, can COVAX help poorer countries catch up?
This content was published on
COVAX expects to start rolling out Covid-19 vaccines to poorer countries at the end of February. Can it really help them catch up?
More than a third of the Swiss contribution will be concretely used to improve global access to vaccines, said Parmelin, who joined the calls for harmonised efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
The Swiss parliament is due to sign off on the contribution during the current June session.
However, in his statement to summit participants on Wednesday, Parmelin did not mention government plans to further donate some three million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, as reported by the Swiss news agency, Keystone-SDA.
Switzerland had purchased the doses from the Swedish-British company last year but drugs regulator, Swissmedic, has yet to approve the vaccine.
More
More
Why Swiss participation in WHO’s Covid-19 vaccine plan matters
This content was published on
As the second coronavirus wave makes finding vaccines even more urgent, we look at Swiss participation in the WHO’s vaccine pool.
Swiss invention: 90-year anniversary of first T-bar ski lift
This content was published on
On Monday it will be 90 years since the world’s first T-bar ski lift went into service in Davos. This Swiss invention was an instant success.
Iran summons Swiss ambassador over US and Italy arrests
This content was published on
Iran has summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents US interests, to protest against the arrest in the US and Italy of two Iranians.
Swisscom receives greenlight for acquisition of Vodafone Italia
This content was published on
The takeover of Vodafone Italia by Swisscom is nearing completion. All relevant authorities have now approved the €8 billion (CHF7.45 billion) deal.
Novo Nordisk stock market plunge drags down Swiss device maker Ypsomed
This content was published on
The Danish pharmaceutical giant, Novo Nordisk, faced setbacks on Friday that weighed on the share price of Swiss injection device manufacturer Ypsomed.
Swiss press react to EU deal with mix of euphoria and scepticism
This content was published on
Swiss media reaction to the agreement between Switzerland and the EU varies widely. Some are celebrating, while others worry about what is to come.
Swiss Solidarity donations to tackle child abuse top CHF4 million
This content was published on
Swiss Solidarity, the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), has raised over CHF4 million ($4.3 million) to tackle child abuse.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.