Over 100 vaccinated Swiss residents contract Covid-19

Swiss professor and 2017 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry Jacques Dubochet getting vaccinated. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Of the 1.2 million fully vaccinated people in Switzerland, 129 contracted Covid-19 after their second dose.

On Sunday, the NZZ am Sonntag highlighted the risk of getting infected even after being completely vaccinated against Covid-19. According to the paper, there are a number of factors that are responsible for the almost negligible number of such cases. The two vaccines approved in Switzerland, Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna, only offer 95% and 94% protection respectively. In addition, vaccination seems to be less effective in the elderly. The different and new variants of the virus, which are probably more dangerous and more contagious, also play a role. Experts assume that the number of unreported cases is much higher than the figure recorded by the public health office. 

The same paper also claimed that the Swiss medicines regulator Swissmedic is expected to authorise vaccines for adolescents by the end of June, citing a well-informed source. The president of the Federal Commission for Vaccinations, Christoph Berger, is a little more cautious and hopes that the vaccination of 12-15-year olds can begin after the summer holidays. Pfizer/BioNTech submitted an application to Swissmedic ten days ago for authorisation for this age group. A Swissmedic spokesperson refused to commit to a date when the vaccine for teens will be approved. Canada and the US already vaccinate adolescents.