Consensus on number of deaths from Covid bites eludes Switzerland

Swiss authorities have counted 19 deaths from vaccination against Covid-19 in 2021. The regulatory body responsible for approving vaccines in Switzerland takes a different view, saying there is no evidence at all. support for this assessment, according to a report by public broadcaster SRF.

This content was published on April 23, 2023
April 23, 2023

The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published figures this week documenting different causes of death in the population in 2021. Among them were 19 elderly people who died due to vaccination. In other words, a doctor listed vaccination as the primary cause of death on the person’s death certificate.

Federal authorities had contacted doctors in all cases for more information. “Confirmation has been obtained that the cause of death was not a concurrent cause, but the cause of death was confirmed to be vaccination against Covid-19,” said Rolf Weitkunat, epidemiologist at the SFO.

In contrast, Swissmedic, the regulatory agency that tested and approved the vaccine, says there has not been a single proven death from the vaccine to date. Swissmedic investigated more than 200 suspected cases, including the 19 cases documented by the FSO.

“Swissmedic is looking for a possible causal link and to achieve this goal, we request all available documentation”, explains Christoph Küng, Head of the Medication Safety Division at Swissmedic. For example, the medical history of the deceased person is also taken into consideration.

“We often have questions to the family doctor, to the doctor,” he adds. “We consult the professional literature. We consult internationally.”

When available, autopsy reports were analyzed by Swissmedic. However, none were available for the 19 cases. Autopsies are useful because they provide valuable clues to the cause of death, pathologists say. So how was Swissmedic able to draw conclusions about the 19 cases without an autopsy?

“When we already have enough information to assess the case, we can even skip the autopsy,” says Küng. “And it must also be said that autopsies do not always lead to a conclusive result either.”

+ Covid vaccination skeptics call for inquiry into death rate

Clearly proven deaths from Covid-19 bites are rare anywhere in the world – although multiple studies on the subject based on autopsies do exist. Conversely, many of these studies are unable to completely rule out a possible link between the deaths and vaccination, according to Daniel Theis, science editor of the SRF.

“That still leaves room for speculation,” he says. “Therefore, it is important to be able to examine such cases more specifically in the future to obtain more clarity.”

Around 6 million people were vaccinated with a Covid 19 vaccine in Switzerland in 2021.

Complies with JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative