More people who have been vaccinated are being hospitalized with Covid – and the main reason is the effectiveness is beginning to wane for those who were first in the queue when the inoculation programme was started, according to a report in the NZZ newspaper.
The regulator, Swissmedic, is under fire for not authorizing the booster jabs fast enough. But the head of the agency, Raimund Bruhin, says it’s up to the manufactures to submit a request for authorization – and the two main Swiss suppliers, Moderna and Pfizer, sought approval from the US and the EU first.
Experts are also considering so called ‘mix and match’ – the booster shot being of a different type than the first dose.
In the US, the FDA has given the OK for mixing the vaccines for the booster shot. A spokesman for Swissmedic says that’s a decision that needs to be taken by the Federal Commission for Vaccinations.
In Geneva, public sector workers marched again yesterday, protesting the 2026 budget and the planned cuts of nearly 300 jobs considered vital to public services.
Eurovision is facing a deepening crisis after Swiss singer Nemo, the 2024 winner, announced they are returning their trophy in protest at Israel’s participation in next year’s contest.