Moderna is one of three vaccine manufacturers to have reached supply deals with Switzerland.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved
Switzerland has increased its coronavirus vaccine order with Moderna by three million doses. This Alpine country now has 15.8 million doses of vaccines on order from three different manufacturers, pending approval from the health regulator.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
The Swiss government increased its previous order with the US biotechnology company for its mRNA vaccine to a new total of 7.5 million doses, it was announced on Tuesday. Earlier this week, Switzerland added a vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech to its desired stockpile list.
Switzerland’s membership of the World Health Organization COVAXExternal link initiative would also grant access to enough vaccines to cover 20% of the Swiss population.
Health regulator Swissmedic is currently evaluating the safety of several vaccine candidates under its “rolling procedure”, which allows manufacturers to submit the results of test studies in stages. So far, no vaccine has yet been approved.
On Wednesday, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said it had reached an agreement with Moderna to extend the use of its Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Sdiagnostic tool to speed up testing of its vaccine.
“To enhance our understanding of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 there would be a benefit in knowing the starting levels of antibodies a person has, prior to vaccination, in order to evaluate any change in antibody levels that the vaccine induces,” Roche stated in a press release.
The Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Sdiagnostic tool was granted emergency use authorisation by the US health authorities last month.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Swiss federal office sees no reason to end deportations of asylum-seekers to Croatia
This content was published on
Switzerland's State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) continues to deport asylum-seekers to Croatia. It thus rejects a demand from the Swiss Refugee Council in mid-February, which called for a halt to the returns.
ChatGPT responds to negative emotions and therapy, research shows
This content was published on
Stressful information can also cause anxiety in artificial intelligence (AI). As scientists in Zurich have shown, it's even possible to calm the GPT-4 AI model with mindfulness exercises.
Mortgage benchmark fall paves way for potential rent cuts in Switzerland
This content was published on
Switzerland’s national benchmark for mortgage costs dropped to the level it had before the global inflation surge, paving the way for potential rent reductions.
Switzerland ‘deeply concerned’ by Trump’s death penalty order
This content was published on
Switzerland has told the UN Human Rights Council that it is "deeply concerned" by US President Donald Trump's recent executive order to strengthen capital punishment at federal and state level.
Blatter, Platini return to court for new fraud trial over CHF2 million FIFA payment
This content was published on
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Platini appeared in court in Switzerland on Monday accused of fraud - 2.5 years after they were cleared.
Israel criticises Swiss decision to host Middle East conference in Geneva on Friday
This content was published on
Israel has condemned Switzerland for planning to host a meeting on international humanitarian law in the Middle East next Friday in Geneva.
Centre Party’s Franziska Biner elected to Valais government
This content was published on
Voters in canton Valais in southern Switzerland elected Franziska Biner to the cantonal government in the first round of voting, beating off more established politicians.
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
Incomplete data stalls Swiss authorisation of Covid-19 vaccines
This content was published on
Switzerland’s medical regulator says it lacks the necessary information to sign off on three different vaccines ordered by the government.
Switzerland secures three million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
This content was published on
Some 4.5 million doses of another vaccine have already been agreed with United States pharma company Moderna and another 5.3 million doses from the British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca. The government said on MondayExternal link that membership of the World Health Organization COVAXExternal link initiative grants vaccine coverage to 20% of the Swiss population. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine would require…
This content was published on
With a death toll of over 5,000, Switzerland (population 8.5 million) expects to launch its coronavirus vaccination campaign in early January.
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.