Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine approved for use in Switzerland
Health regulator Swissmedic has given the green light for the use of the vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson (J&J). This is the third vaccine to be approved in Switzerland. However, Switzerland has not yet ordered any doses of J&J's one-shot vaccine.
“Swissmedic has temporarily authorised the ‘Covid-19 vaccine Janssen’ developed by the pharmaceutical corporation Johnson & Johnson for people aged 18 and over,” Swissmedic said in a statementExternal link on Monday.
To date Switzerland has not ordered J&J’s one-shot vaccine, which was approved in the United States, Canada and the European Union. While deliveries have begun in the US, Europe is not set to get the vaccine until the second quarter of 2021. The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health does not expect it to be available until autumnExternal link.
More
More
Covid-19: vaccine rollout starts to bear fruit among Swiss seniors
This content was published on
Switzerland’s coronavirus vaccination campaign is starting to show its first effects, data shows.
Swissmedic said the submitted study data showed an average efficacy of 66.9% in the investigated age groups.
“Severe and critical forms of Covid-19 can be prevented with this vaccine (in almost 85% of cases),” said Swissmedic. “A positive effect was also demonstrated against the dominant mutations in Brazil and South Africa (SARS-CoV-2 variants).”
The advantage of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is that it only needs to be administered as a single dose. It is also relatively easy to store and transport. The vaccine can be stored frozen at -25 °C to -15 °C and can be transported either deep-frozen or after thawing at between 2 °C and 8 °C. Once removed from the freezer, the unopened vaccine can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months.
“It is based on a human adenovirus (cold virus) containing the blueprint for the spike proteins of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which in turn forms the basis for triggering the desired immune response to the virus in the human immune cells,” said Swissmedic.
What’s been ordered?
However, Switzerland decided not to order the J&J vaccine amid its first round of vaccine purchases, on grounds that it would likely not get the vaccine amid supply bottlenecks until autumn 2021.
For the population of 8.6 million people, the Swiss government has ordered nearly 36 million vaccine doses from five companies: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Curevac and Novavax. So far, Swissmedic has given the green light to two Covid-19 vaccines: from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. The application from AstraZeneca is still under review.
Vaccinations began in late December in the Alpine nation. Switzerland has set an ambitious target: to inoculate six million people (70% of the population) on a voluntary basis by summer with up to 70,000 vaccine shots per day. While the cantons have set up the necessary infrastructure to vaccinate the population, the authorities admit that progress has been “insufficient” largely due to production bottlenecks.
A survey conducted on behalf of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation in January found that 41% of people surveyed said they would be willing to get vaccinated immediately.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
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.
Read more
More
Data on AstraZeneca vaccine insufficient for Swiss approval
This content was published on
Swissmedic says it has not yet received enough robust data from clinical trials to give the green light to the Covid-19 vaccine.
This content was published on
Media reports indicate that vaccinating everyone who wants to by summer relies on meeting ambitious vaccine delivery targets in spring.
Covid-19 vaccine: Why we still have a long wait ahead
This content was published on
Countries have started rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine, but it will likely take years to manufacture doses at the scale needed to reach the masses.
Swiss regulator warns of fake Covid-19 vaccines online
This content was published on
Scammers are selling dangerous fake coronavirus vaccines on the internet, Switzerland’s health regulator Swissmedic warned on Tuesday.
Swiss factory rushes to prepare for Moderna Covid-19 vaccine
This content was published on
Workers are racing to set up production lines at the Lonza factory in Visp to be able to start making a vaccine for US firm Moderna later this year.
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.