Prognosis

Super-Rich and Punctual Switzerland Is Also Behind on Vaccines

The country of clockwork is also suffering from having agreed deals that were too little and too late.

A ski instructor walks past social distancing signs in Verbier.

Photographer: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

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Being famously wealthy, a model for efficiency and punctuality and having a big pharmaceuticals industry is no guarantee of success when it comes to the coronavirus vaccination drive.

The European Union’s procurement saga has dominated headlines, but neighboring Switzerland is facing a similar predicament. With shops, theaters and restaurants closed and a public desperate for respite, authorities in the capital of Bern weren’t offering Covid-19 immunization appointments at the weekend. There simply wasn’t enough vaccine.