In yet another blow to Switzerland’s vaccine roll out – the regulator Swissmedic, says it does not have enough information to allow the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
It was being reported last month approval was imminent. The EU and the UK have approved it.
Swissmedic says it’s waiting for results from a phase 3 trial under way in the Americas before making a final decision.
The government is preparing for a further two vaccines to become available. It has pre-ordered five million doses from the German firm Curevac and a further 6 million from the US firm Novamax – which is showing promising effectiveness from the UK and South African variants. But it may not be available before the summer.