(Adds background about total cases, shots)
ZURICH, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Switzerland has documented five
cases of a coronavirus variant from Britain and two cases of a
South African variant, a Swiss health ministry official said on
Tuesday, adding he anticipates more cases of these
faster-spreading mutations will emerge.
Patrick Mathys, the health ministry's crisis management
section leader, also said the Swiss supply of COVID-19 shots
will be limited until more vaccines are approved by the nation's
regulator, likely next year.
Switzerland is the latest nation to record variant cases, as
country after country reports similar infections, prompting some
nations to ban travel to Great Britain and South Africa amid
fears a more-virulent virus could exacerbate strapped health
care systems.
"Until now, there's no evidence that these strains are
spreading in large numbers in Switzerland," Mathys said, of the
variants. "But it would be an illusion to think that these
infections, which have been confirmed in the laboratory, are the
only ones that exist in Switzerland. We have to expect that
we'll find more, and it's probable that there has already been
transmission."
One of the cases detected in Switzerland is a resident of
neighboring France, Mathys said.
Switzerland recorded 4,197 new infections since Monday,
bringing the total since the pandemic began to than 442,481,
more than 5% of the population.
A further 131 people died, bringing COVID-19 fatalities to
6,909.
Switzerland has so far received 107,000 doses of Pfizer
and German partner BioNTech's vaccine, and is
targeting shots at older nursing home residents and medical
workers.
The country expects to get 250,000 monthly doses of the
Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, but boosting deliveries beyond that
depends on approval of additional shots from Moderna
and AstraZeneca now under review.
"We have to make do with what we have, for now" Mathys said.
"We can't magically make shots from thin air."
(Reporting by John Miller; editing by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi)