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Vaccinations should start soon. (Image: Keystone)
Switzerland
Swissmedic is excited about the high efficacy of the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine against Covid. Clearly exceeds expectations.
At nearly 95 percent, the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine, which has now been approved by Swissmedic, is considered highly effective. It is much more effective than was ever thought possible, the head of Swissmedic’s authorization department, Claus Bolte, told the media in Bern on Saturday.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we had deemed 50 percent effectiveness eligible for approval,” Bolte said. Now, the vaccine has proven to be very effective for people 16 years of age and older. There is no age limit.
The basis for the approval of Comirnaty, the commercial name of the vaccine, is a large study with more than 43,000 participants that was carried out around the world. 36,000 participants were evaluated.
Hundreds of thousands of vaccines
Furthermore, the vaccine has already been used in emergencies in some countries without prior authorization. A few hundred thousand people have been vaccinated.
Local side effects may occur at the vaccination site on the upper arm: redness, swelling, irritation. There may also be systemic side effects such as malaise, general pain, tiredness, and nausea. “But the side effects also show that the immune system mobilizes defense.”
