COVID-19: Switzerland approves Pfizer vaccines, 90 year old woman first to get shot

A 90-year-old resident from canton of Lucerne became the first person to be administered with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The government of Switzerland started a mass campaign to inoculate the vulnerable home care residents that fall under the high-risk groups, the canton informed on its official site. On December 22, the Swissmedic approved the Pfizer and BioNtech vaccines as the first shipment arrived in the country and was distributed by the Swiss military in the canton of Lucerne.

According to a release by Switzerland’s Federal office for Public Health, Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is set to be delivered to Switzerland in stages. The first batch of the vials will comprise around 100,000 doses to be delivered by the first quarter of 2021, according to the federal health office’s release.  The government of Switzerland ordered a total of 3 million doses of vaccine from Pfizer.

“In the first phase, already in December, the cantons will be able to begin with the first vaccinations for people in vulnerable groups, in targeted and supervised settings. From 4 January 2021, it will be possible to start vaccinating other vulnerable groups,” the federal health ministry informed in an online update. Additionally, the country signed a contract to purchase a total of 15 million doses of vaccine from other pharmaceutical firms, including 4.5 million doses from Moderna and up to 5.3 million doses from AstraZeneca. The AstraZeneca and the Moderna vaccines are still undergoing the approval process at Swissmedic, according to an FHO’s statement. “The Covid-19 vaccination will be free of charge for the population. The costs will be covered by the federal government, the cantons, and health insurance,” it announced. 

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More supply ordered by US

Earlier, Pfizer struck a deal with the US for an additional 100 million doses and more purchases to be made in 2021 under Operation Warp Speed (OWS), bringing the current total purchase to 200 million vials. The additional dosages will be delivered to the US by the second quarter of July 31, 2021, and more supplies to be procured by the third and fourth quarters to vaccinate more Americans, according to the deal still in the making. According to Pfizer’s official release, the US government has agreed to pay $1.95 billion in order to procure a vaccine to inoculate another 100 milling population in the second quarter of 2021. 

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Read: Biden Warns US May Lose More Lives Due To COVID-19, Urges People To Get Vaccinated

(Image Credit: AP)