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Switzerland approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Saturday, and immunization will begin just after Christmas as the country battles growing cases of coronavirus.
Swissmedic’s regulatory authority said it had given the green light after a two-month continuous review.
Switzerland has registered more than 4,000 new cases and 100 deaths every day. There have been a total of 400,000 infections and nearly 6,000 deaths since the pandemic began.
“After a careful review of the available information, Swissmedic concluded that Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine is safe and that its benefits outweigh the risks,” said Swissmedic.
Health Minister Alain Berset added: “We can start vaccinating in the next few days.
“Those who are particularly vulnerable will take priority,” he said, referring to the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.
These number about two million people in Switzerland, which has a population of 8.6 million.
Produced by the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the German biotechnology company BioNTech, the vaccine is based on a new technology that uses genetic material in the form of mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid).
“The level of protection afforded seven days after the second injection is greater than 90 percent in adults,” Swissmedic said of the data it reviewed.
The regulator said the most frequently documented side effects were “comparable to those of a flu vaccine.”
– Slow down as infections increase –
The Swiss military will receive, store and distribute the doses of the vaccine, which must be kept at -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit).
The military said it had verbal assurances from Pfizer-BioNTech that it would deliver nearly 107,000 doses in the coming days, then 250,000 per month starting in January.
The city of Basel said it was ready to start vaccinations on December 28.
Health Minister Berset said the vaccine was not mandatory, but was “highly recommended” and free.
The announcement came a day after the Swiss government said bars and restaurants would be closing again across the country starting Tuesday for at least a month.
“The number of infections is very high and continues to increase. Hospitals and healthcare workers have been under extreme pressure for weeks and the festive period increases the risk of an even faster rise in cases, ”he said.
Achieving sufficient immunity will take up to a year, and even six months “in the best of cases,” said Virginie Masserey, head of vaccine strategy at the Swiss Ministry of Health.
“It depends on how quickly people want to get vaccinated,” he told a news conference.
Switzerland has secured around 15.8 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, in agreements with three manufacturers.
It has signed contracts for about three million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, about 7.5 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, and about 5.3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Two doses per person are required for all three vaccines.
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