Switzerland to begin vaculation, new restrictive measures take effect

Switzerland accepted the first doses of the coronary vaccine today, paving the way for population vaccination at a time when restrictive measures went into effect because of the increase in the number of new infections.

The Swiss Bars Regulatory Agency approved the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine on Saturday. The first 107,000 doses will be distributed to cantons to vaccinate high-risk groups, including those over 75 years old and those under pre-existing medical conditions.

The vaccine program could start in the next seven days,” has declared Federal Health Agency official Virginia Masserey, Reuters reports.

Unlike vaccines in Britain, Swiss officials keep the media out of giving the first doses in the homes of elders.

Switzerland's “Maggie is unknown to”, the newspaper Bleck reported, referring to 90-year-old Margaret Keenan, who this month became the first person in the world to receive Pfizer vaccine after approval from official London.

The vaccine of high-risk groups throughout Switzerland will begin on 4 January.

It is scheduled to receive 250,000 doses a month, and the adoption of other vaccines currently under consideration raises expectations that all those who want to be vaccinated will be able to do so by mid-2021, according to Swiss health officials.

The number of cases in Switzerland has exceeded 400,000, with 6,000 dead, so the government last week decided to close restaurants for a month and invite its residents to stay at home.

The move took effect Tuesday and will last for a month. In addition to restaurants, sports and recreation centres are closed, people are encouraged to keep social contacts to minimum and refrain from unnecessary travel.

The government has been reluctant to impose new rules on the number of people allowed at private gatherings or to impose stricter measures such as the time of the ban by applying partial closures similar to the first months of pandemic.

Shops can still remain open, though with a limited number of allowed customers.