Switzerland will not recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for any of its citizens during the spring and summer months, including those who are considered to be at high risk of serious illness from contracting the respiratory virus.
ABC 13 News reported that the nation’s latest recommendation concerning the vaccine and subsequent booster shots came from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), which apparently stated that those in the country had already been vaccinated “and/or contracted and recovered from COVID-19.”
The FOPH suggested that citizens’ “immune system has therefore been exposed to the coronavirus,” adding that “in spring/summer 2023, the virus will likely circulate less.”
The news comes after other countries around the world have started lifting COVID-era restrictions in their country. There has also been severe backlash about the efficacy of the vaccine, with myocarditis, a heart-related illness, cropping up in young people who received it.
The FOPH suggested that the virus caused little more than “mild illness,” adding that recommendations could be changed if there is a sudden spike in COVID-related illnesses over the upcoming months.
However, Switzerland has not barred its citizens from getting the vaccine, but they must schedule an appointment with a medical physician to be approved to do so, per the FOPH. ABC 13 reported that if after the medical visit, the patient is not recommended for the vaccine, they can still get the jab, but they will have to pay for it out of pocket.
Switzerland’s move to draw back COVID-19 vaccination recommendations comes after a number of European countries have done the same, including France. Though the US has lifted the "national emergency" status of COVID, vaccination requirements are still in full effect.
