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ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland will begin receiving doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech just days after its drug regulator authorized the use of the jabs in what officials called the world’s first approval under a standard procedure.
Two months after receiving the request, Swissmedic allowed the vaccine for people over 16 years of age after a continuous review of the documents that were submitted.
That paved the way for an initial delivery of just over 100,000 doses, which the army will store in a freezer and send to the cantons to begin vaccinating vulnerable people, including the elderly and people with medical conditions.
A national campaign to vaccinate risk groups can start from January 4. Subsequent deliveries of 250,000 doses a month raised hopes that anyone who wanted a free injection would be able to get one by mid-2021, officials from the federal public health agency said.
With the approval of another product expected soon, Switzerland will have enough vaccine in the coming months, the agency’s director, Anne Levy, said at a press conference in Bern.
Swissmedic is also reviewing the vaccine requests made by Moderna and AztraZeneca.
COVID-19 cases in Switzerland and neighboring Liechtenstein have surpassed 400,000 and the death toll has passed 6,000, prompting the government on Friday to close restaurants for a month and urge people to stay home.
Although the timing of Swissmedic’s approval took even government officials by surprise, the agency said the data showed the vaccine was safe and effective.
“Patient safety is an essential prerequisite, especially when it comes to vaccine licensing,” said Swissmedic Director Raimund Bruhin.
Sabine Bruckner, Pfizer’s head of Swiss operations, called the Swiss approval “a historic moment in the fight against this deadly disease.”
The vaccine has been licensed or approved for emergency use in more than 15 countries, the partners said. Bruhin said he expected approval from the European Union soon.
Pfizer has to continue to send information on the safety, efficacy and quality of its vaccine, Swissmedic said.
“We will take immediate action if necessary if security signals emerge,” Bruhin told a news conference.
Switzerland has a contract with Pfizer and BioNTech to administer 3 million doses of the vaccine, enough for 1.5 million people to receive two injections three weeks apart.
(Reporting by Michael Shields, edited by William Maclean and Ros Russell)
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