Swiss vaccination rate sees sharp drop in recent weeks

The pace of vaccination in Switzerland has dropped sharply since mid-June, and the pool of people willing to be vaccinated may soon be exhausted, according to Swiss public broadcaster RTS. Unless the trend is reversed, this means the percentage of the population vaccinated is more likely to end up at 60% than Health Minister Alain Berset’s stated target of 80%, RTS reports in an analysis of recent statistics from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). The number of vaccine doses administered has dropped from a record high of nearly 650,000 in the second week of June to below 450,000 three weeks later – a fall of 30%. It has fallen from a peak of around 90,000 jabs a day to 63,000 (week ending July 4). Almost all those ready to be vaccinated immediately will have been vaccinated very soon, writes RTS. This comes as only 52% of people living in Switzerland have received at least one dose. The best protected are now 70- to 79-year-olds, who have overtaken people over 80. For...