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Switzerland has secured access to another coronavirus vaccine. It is not clear if he will be admitted.
At the moment, the main thing in the fight against the coronavirus is to wash your hands, keep your distance, ventilate and wear masks. It should stay that way until there are more effective drugs and a vaccine. And the federal government today signed a new contract for vaccines.
Following an agreement with the Moderna company, the federal government has also ordered 5.3 million doses of vaccines from the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. “That’s good news,” says SRF science editor Thomas Häusler. The vaccine that the Moderna company already ordered would only have been enough for a part of the population. “So more is needed.”
Alternatives are needed
Despite the efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO), there is competition between countries for vaccines, vaccines that do not yet exist. Because so far not a single active ingredient has been approved in a western country.
So betting on two different types of vaccines should be an advantage. Häusler also confirms this: “It is very likely that vaccines have different properties. It could, for example, especially protect the elderly from infections and a severe course. “This would be an important property for the risk group.
“Instead, another vaccine could better ensure that those vaccinated do not transmit the virus.” That would also be important in slowing the spread of the virus, says the scientific editor.
Failure enters the money
But how far are Moderna and AstraZeneca, which Switzerland ordered vaccination doses, in their development? “Both vaccines are in what is known as Phase III. This means that they are tested on a large number of subjects, ”explains Häusler. That is the last step before approval. However: AstraZeneca must stop its study in the US due to a possible case of serious side effects.
“So it’s close, and at the same time one or another vaccine may still fail,” says Häusler. It is advisable to rely on several vaccines: “But you can also lose money. That is unavoidable “.
