Free booster vaccinations available in Switzerland from October 10th
From October 10, 2022, booster vaccinations against the SARS-CoV-2 virus will be available free of charge throughout Switzerland. The Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) recommends a booster vaccination for everyone over the age of 16.
A key goal of the immunization program is to reduce the burden on hospitals during the fall flu season, with a focus on protecting those most at risk and healthcare professionals in close contact with those at risk. The costs of the booster are borne by the federal government.
According to the BAG, both the number of reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections and the proportion of positive tests are currently increasing significantly. Rising infection rates are also observed through national wastewater monitoring, where the viral load measured in wastewater is increasing.
Although the number of intensive care beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and the reported deaths remain at a very low level, a further increase in infections is to be expected, according to the BAG. Another booster could help reduce the number of severe cases and thus prevent the health system from being overloaded in autumn and winter.
The vaccination recommendation is aimed in particular at people at risk, i.e. people over 65 years of age and people with an increased individual health risk, for example due to a previous illness or pregnancy. In addition, people without risk factors who work in acute and long-term care or who look after people who are particularly at risk professionally or privately are advised to be vaccinated. A booster vaccination offers these people a certain protection against infection associated with an illness and can also reduce work absences to a certain extent, according to the BAG.
Three vaccines are offered. The original mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna along with a new Moderna vaccine containing 50% of the original and 50% of a new formulation targeting the Omicron (BA.1) variant.
Claire-Anne Siegrist, Head of the Vaccines Unit at Geneva HUG Hospital, said RTS that there is no target vaccination rate this time. Siegrist said elderly or vulnerable people suffering from an illness shouldn’t wait to boost their immunity. This is different for healthy adolescents. The situation is completely different from last year because 97 percent of the population has base immunity, said Siegrist.
Another aspect is travel. Some countries, like the US, still require visitors to be up to date on Covid-19 vaccinations – see IATA map here.
More on this:
BAG media release (in French) – Take a 5-minute French test now
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