The corona booster vaccination recommended by the federal government for the fall of 2022 is progressing slowly. Vaccination appointments can be booked at short notice for the next day. Covid has “lost its terror,” said top cantonal physician Rudolf Hauri, 62, in a recent interview with Blick. The report in mid-October that Pfizer executive Janine Small testified before the European Parliament that a vaccination could not prevent the transmission should also have aroused skepticism among the population. At the request of the Dutch MEP Rob Roos, Small admitted that the vaccine had never been tested. One had to keep up with the pace of science.
This hearing caused a lot of commotion on the internet. The word “vaccination” was soon heard again. Apparently the federal government didn’t miss this either. Accordingly, the Federal Office of Health (BAG) has now revised its statements in its coronavirus FAQ.
The bag-coronavirus.ch website says nothing about transmission protection to third parties. Instead, “vaccination protection” is emphasized: “The Covid-19 vaccination,” it reads, “provides good protection against severe Covid-19 courses.”
Main objective of the vaccination strategy
The coronavirus FAQ now states: “The question of whether vaccination against Covid-19 also reduces the transmission of viruses must be reassessed with each new variant of the coronavirus.” This has also been clearly communicated after the outbreak of the pandemic, for example to the press on December 19, 2020: “We do not know whether vaccinated people can also transmit the virus.”
In studies, it goes on to say, “evidence of a reduction in the spread of the virus after the Covid 19 vaccination” has been observed. Protection against transmission or infection was never mentioned. However, the BAG states: “The statement that vaccination can help reduce the transmission of the virus to other people was still correct and was based on the latest available data and assessments by international committees of experts.”
Reference is made to the “main purpose” of vaccination: a booster vaccination increases protection against serious courses. “That is the main goal of the Covid-19 vaccination strategy.”
Heavy Progression Protection
The commitment by Health Minister Alain Berset (50) at the end of October 2021 has turned out to be a bit premature, according to which the Covid certificate stands for full vaccination protection. Anyone who meets one of the three Gs – recovered, tested, vaccinated – can “prove with the certificate that you are not contagious,” Berset said amid the second Corona trap.
In the meantime, the BAG has also adjusted its recommendations accordingly. With the currently circulating Omikron variant, “no relevant protection against transmission through vaccination is expected,” according to the October 19 advisory.
Virus transmission is not the focus of the federal vaccination campaign. A booster vaccination also offers no relevant protection against transmission. Vaccination, it is emphasized, at least temporarily improves protection against serious disease progression. (keep)