Daniel Ballmer, Sermîn Faki
With an offensive costing 100 million francs, the Federal Council wants to increase the vaccination rate in the country – to 80 percent for 18 to 65-year-olds and to 93 percent for senior citizens.
However, the cantons must achieve these goals – apart from a media campaign and a letter to the population, the federal government will not be involved in vaccination itself. The cantons are responsible for this, but they are financially supported by the federal government.
The cantons are still thinking
Since it has become clear exactly what the federal government is willing to give money for, the cantonal corona experts have put their heads together to roll over ideas and develop concepts.
Little is yet to be said. Most of the cantons write on request that the implementation of the offensive is being planned and that specific information will be given in due course.
Nidwalden wants to focus on the young
The canton of Nidwalden leans a little further out of the window: “We are assuming that we will focus even more on the younger population (16 to 35-year-olds),” said Oliver Mattmann from the State Chancellery. This age group is one of those with the lowest vaccination rate yet, and it is a challenge to get better at them.
“In addition, the presence of a mobile information and vaccination offer at critical points in the canton is likely to be an issue in order to be able to better reach and advise people who are still undecided.”
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Basel-Stadt: We have already done a lot
Basel-Stadt also wants to focus on the 20 to 30 year olds. How exactly is still open, writes Anne Tschudin from the health department. Not without pointing out that the canton took a whole bunch of measures months ago: from vaccination buses to walk-ins, broadcasts to all Basel households, personal letters and WhatsApp messages to a vaccination phone for those who are undecided.
This is Tschudin telling what applies to many cantons: They are slowly running out of ideas on how to get the unvaccinated to the syringe. The Zug health director Martin Pfister sums it up: “It is now very difficult to reach people who are still fundamentally ready to be vaccinated. The group of those who have already been vaccinated is very large, and that of those who are fundamentally opposed to the vaccination sometimes reacts indignantly. “
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Geneva and Bern are skeptical
In Geneva, too, one finds that the population “already had sufficient time to form opinions and very easy and free access to the vaccine”. The Federal Council’s vaccination target is “unfortunately not very realistic in the short term,” said Laurent Paoliello from the Health Directorate. You should therefore concentrate on all quarantined people with whom you are already in contact.
The canton of Bern also sounds skeptical to unwilling. “We have countless in-patient vaccination offers, plus a vaccination truck and other mobile teams are on the move in communities and schools,” said Naomi Brunner from the health department Nau.ch.
The canton, for example, rejects the recruitment of advisors. “We do not consider this measure to be expedient.” Doctors or pharmacists would already do everything possible to get people to vaccinate. “We see no point in recruiting untrained personnel, giving them a crash course on why vaccination makes sense, and then letting it loose on the population.”
The canton of Zurich also remains vague. One will examine “whether and to what extent the canton is involved in the proposed measures of the federal government for the vaccination offensive,” said Jérôme M. Weber from the health directorate.
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Where should the staff come from?
In addition to the decreasing benefit of vaccination measures, the cantons are also concerned with the question of the personnel required for this. This is the “biggest hurdle”, according to the canton of Nidwalden. There is already a shortage of staff. The canton is therefore examining whether to award certain offers to external parties.
The canton of Valais is taking yet another route: it relies on the commitment of general practitioners. Their tariff has been reduced. Instead of CHF 24 per vaccination, you only receive 14. Your vaccination willingness is therefore limited. This is where the Valais comes in: From now on, it pays an additional 8 francs per spade.