It will be over from July: the obligation to report corona vaccination will expire

Since the start of the vaccination campaign in December 2020, the Federal Public Service of Public Health (FOPH) has regularly provided information on the progress of the vaccination. Also about how much has been vaccinated in which age groups. Or how high the vaccination rate is in the different cantons – Basel-Stadt is at the top with no less than 75 percent, Appenzell Innerrhoden at the end with about 57 percent.

Vaccination registration is cancelled

But soon the knowledge of Piks is over. The figures for the Covid vaccinations will no longer be updated from July, BAG spokesperson Daniel Dauwalder confirms to Blick. “By the end of June 2023, the obligation to report vaccinations against Covid-19 will expire,” he says.

Such a reporting obligation was introduced during the pandemic with the aim of “having the most up-to-date data on the progress of immunization through vaccination in Switzerland, which was useful for assessing further measures”.

But that is no longer necessary, says Dauwalder. Because there is now a high level of immunity in Switzerland through vaccination, through infection or both. Moreover, there is no longer a pandemic emergency.

Covid itself remains notifiable

However, Switzerland does not enter the Corona blind flight because of this. “In order to assess the contamination process, the federal government relies on various systems, not only on the obligation to report Covid 19 vaccinations,” Dauwalder emphasizes.

In fact, wastewater monitoring, for example, is an important monitoring tool to continue to assess the development of the corona situation. The sequencing program and the Sentinella systems in general practitioners and hospitals also provide additional information.

“Covid also remains a notifiable disease,” says Dauwalder. From now on, this is controlled analogously – as with other respiratory diseases, such as flu. “The federal government thus retains a good picture of the evolution of the epidemiological situation, even if the obligation to report Covid 19 vaccinations is lifted.”

New information portal on notifiable diseases

As for the Covid dashboard, this will be replaced in the future by a new Epi information portal, into which information about all notifiable diseases will flow. “This will start in the autumn with the data on Covid-19 and flu infections,” says Dauwalder.

Data on the RS virus will be added in October and then the portal will be continuously updated with other diseases. “In the spring, for example, from diseases caused by ticks,” says the BAG spokesperson. “In order to obtain the best possible information about the spread of infectious diseases, wastewater monitoring is also being expanded.”

Even though there is no notification obligation for vaccinations, Dauwalder makes it clear: “Vaccination is still important for people who are at particular risk.” Before the fall, the federal government expects another 1 to 1.5 million corona vaccinations.