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VISTA: On Wednesday morning, Federal Councilor Alain Berset announced the good news: Switzerland has secured another 3 million doses of vaccines. How did you do that?
Nora Kronig: Well, we are in constant contact with the manufacturers, we say what we need and we negotiate. Of course, we are very happy that we were able to sign another contract with Pfizer / Biontech.
The first million of the additional vaccine is expected to come from April, the second million from July and the third from September. Why do we still need so many doses at the end of the year when everyone should get vaccinated in June?
There are two reasons for this: on the one hand, we want to be prepared if we need to react to mutations. The great thing about mRNA vaccines like the one from Pfizer / Biontech is that they can be adapted relatively quickly. On the other hand, we do not yet know how long the vaccination protection will last. Therefore, you may need to get vaccinated again. We arm ourselves for this.
When do you expect children and adolescents to be vaccinated?
I still cannot give an exact date, because at this time the data is still missing. Safety must be guaranteed. This also applies to the question of when pregnant women can be vaccinated without risk of disease.
The vaccine shortage is also related to the fact that the Astrazeneca vaccine has not yet been approved. Half the world uses it to vaccinate, but Swissmedic still needs data. Do you get it?
We focus on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Now new data has come in, including from studies in Scotland, and I hope the approval decision comes soon. Because we are currently happy with every effective vaccine that we can offer to the population.
The Astrazeneca vaccine is said to work worse than mRNA vaccines. Do we even want that?
The goal of our vaccination strategy is to protect people who are particularly at risk, ensure the maintenance of the health system, and keep the social and economic consequences of the pandemic as low as possible. We review all vaccines to see if they can help.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is expected to be approved in the next few days. Why hasn’t Switzerland insured it yet?
Because we decided to stop using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Because the delivery is too late for us: it would only be possible from the third quarter. Also, we are currently focusing on mRNA vaccines, which are more effective, especially for vulnerable people. And, like I said, they can be adjusted quickly.
Roche has announced that it will launch a pill to treat the crown at the end of the year. Has the STOCK EXCHANGE already insured this pill?
We are watching the development of such drugs. We can only communicate when something becomes more concrete here.
Does that mean there are conversations in progress?
No, that means that we are still in the previous stage.
People long to get back to normal. Will we be able to have an after work beer at the pub in the summer after work at the construction site or in the office?
I am optimistic that it might work. But I don’t want to speculate.
That was the reply from the diplomat Kronig. But what do you personally believe in?
It seems good that there is enough vaccine. In addition, it currently appears that it could also protect vaccinated people from transmission of the virus. However, new developments may occur that cannot be foreseen. The good news is that every pandemic comes to an end. The only question is when. We work day and night to do everything we can to make this happen as soon as possible.
Some cantons contradict you. It would not be possible to vaccinate everyone in June.
We have a Herculean task ahead of us. In Switzerland, a vaccination campaign like the one planned for the second quarter has never been carried out. But we can do it. The prerequisites for this are good.
She will be on maternity leave when, hopefully, the vaccination goal is reached in the summer. Is it already clear who will take over your work temporarily?
No one is irreplaceable. We are organized in such a way that everything will be fine without me. And we are in the process of fixing that.
Nora Kronig Romero (40) heads the “Covid-19 Vaccine” working group at the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), which coordinates the purchase of vaccines. The trained economist and diplomat was appointed deputy director and head of BAG’s International Department in 2017.
Posted: March 10, 2021, 6:00 pm
Last update: 10.03.2021, 6:07 pm
