Zurich: Switzerland has agreed to buy 150,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson which will arrive this week and distributed to regional authorities next week, the government said on Wednesday.
Switzerland has relied on so far on vaccines from Pfizer-Bontech and Moderna using new MRNA technology but also considered a standard vector jab from Johnson & Johnson to help persuade more people to be immunized.
“People are 12 years old and more recommended for vaccinated especially with the MRNA vaccine, because it offers a very high and very safe protection level,” said the Federal Public Health Office.
But he noted that health experts recommend J & J vaccines to everyone more than 18 who cannot be vaccinated with the MRNA vaccine for medical reasons or those who reject the MRNA vaccine.
Pregnant women and people with immunodeficiency are still advised to use one of the MRNA vaccines from Pfizer or Modern.
Switzerland and Liechtenstein’s small neighbors have recorded nearly 840,000 infections and almost 10,700 deaths from Covid-19 since the Coronavirus pandemic began.
About 58% of the population is fully vaccinated.