ZURICH, May 12 (Reuters) - Switzerland is considering
donating 3 million of the 5.4 million AstraZeneca
COVID-19 vaccine doses it has reserved to the COVAX vaccine
sharing programme, Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset said on
Wednesday.
"The (AstraZeneca) vaccine is not yet approved in
Switzerland so far. If it is approved, then only a limited
number would be deployed in Switzerland," Berset told a news
conference. "We looked at it today, and the Interior Ministry
has been tasked with making necessary inquiries about how we
would donate 3 million doses available to COVAX."
Switzerland is in a position to shift the doses to the World
Health Organization-backed programme aimed at helping developing
countries because the nation is already well-positioned with
vaccines from producers including Pfizer and Moderna
for the remainder of 2021 and 2022, should refresher
shots be needed to fight mutations, Berset said.
(Reporting by John Miller; Editing by Michael Shields)