KEYSTONE / Alessandro della Valle (Archivbild)
The European boss of the biotech company Moderna does not understand the criticism of the Federal Council’s procurement strategy for vaccines against the coronavirus. The state government has solved this very well and does not have to accept any reproaches, says Dan Staner.
«Switzerland has bet on the right horses. With Moderna and Pfizer / Biontech, two vaccines are on the market that are already in use, ”said Staner in an interview with“ Sonntagsblick ”. It took a lot of courage to recognize the potential of individual vaccines during the test phase and then strike.
Moderna will be able to deliver the 7.5 million cans ordered by Switzerland in several tranches by summer 2021. “If everything goes as planned, almost half of the population could be treated with our vaccine by summer.”
This should put Switzerland in the top international group when it comes to supplying its population with vaccines in the first half of 2021, says Staner. “However, whether this succeeds not only depends on us. Vaccination takes time and an efficient strategy. That is the responsibility of the authorities. “
No special treatment
Switzerland will not enjoy any special treatment for future orders just because it was the first country to choose Moderna, stressed the Lausanne native. “Every country deserves to be treated equally.”
Moderna refrain from stashing vaccines and only delivering them when an appropriate country orders. Every dose that is produced is delivered immediately according to the contract. «People all over the world suffer equally. Nobody deserves special treatment in these times. “
Vaccine well researched
Fears that the vaccine might not be safe due to a short development and approval period, Staner rejected. “We have been researching mRNA vaccines for ten years. The breakthrough was only a matter of time. “
The vaccine has been in clinical trials for about a year. “We tested it on over 30,000 people of different ages, different origins and with different backgrounds. The data from the clinical studies clearly show that no serious side effects are to be feared and that strong efficacy against the disease can be demonstrated. ” That gave the numerous regulatory authorities the confidence to approve the vaccine.
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