Side effects are possible with any vaccination. They are usually mild to moderate and subside quickly.

Common side effects include reactions at the injection site such as pain, redness and/or swelling, headaches and fatigue. Muscle and joint pain and general symptoms such as chills, feeling feverish or a high temperature may also occur.

In very rare cases, severe side effects may be felt. A small number of people, for example, have experienced a severe allergic reaction directly after being vaccinated, with symptoms such as severe swelling, redness, itching or difficulty breathing. In very rare instances, an inflammation of the heart muscle or of the outer lining of the heart has been observed within 14 days of the vaccination. These cases have generally been mild and easily treatable. Typical symptoms of such inflammation of the heart muscle are chest pain, difficulty breathing and palpitations, which usually occur within 2 weeks of the vaccination.

Further side effects may also be felt, with symptoms of varying durations. If you experience any severe or unexpected condition following a COVID-19 vaccination, contact a doctor, a pharmacist or the place you received your vaccination.

Health problems can develop at any time. So if a health problem does arise immediately after a COVID-19 vaccination, this does not necessarily mean that the vaccination is the cause.

People in vulnerable groups

Vaccination in autumn/winter is recommended for anyone aged 16 or over in a vulnerable group. A recommended vaccination is free of charge for you and is covered by your compulsory basic health insurance.

Pregnant women

Pregnant women can be vaccinated after individual clarification with their doctor. A recommended vaccination is free of charge for pregnant women and is covered by their compulsory basic health insurance.

All others

People who wish to be vaccinated without a recommendation (e.g. for a trip) can receive the vaccination but must pay for it themselves.

You will find more detailed information on the funding of the COVID-19 vaccination on the page for health professionals (in German, French and Italian).

mRNA stands for messenger ribonucleic acid (“messenger RNA”). The human body produces mRNA naturally and requires it in order to make vital proteins.

The mRNA contained in the vaccine provides the body with information from the coronavirus, thus allowing the body to produce viral proteins. These proteins are then recognised by the body as foreign. They trigger an immune response in the body, which prepares itself to fight the virus. In the event of contact with the virus, the body’s own defences are activated more quickly.

Even though mRNA technology is not yet widely used in vaccines, research in this field has already been going on around the world for around ten years. Other mRNA vaccines have also already been tested in studies.

The vaccines from the manufacturers Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech are mRNA vaccines.

The mRNA administered with the vaccine cannot penetrate the cell nucleus.

The Epidemics Act provides for a government compensation system for cases of severe side effects of a vaccination recommended by the authorities. However, compensation will only be paid for damages that are not otherwise covered (subsidiary liability). In other words, a person suffering damages is only entitled to compensation if the damage has not already been covered by the vaccine manufacturer (product liability), the person administering the vaccination (medical liability) or by social or private insurance.

Federal government compensation is thus intended to mitigate the consequences for those affected if third parties such as the person administering the vaccination or the vaccine manufacturer are not liable. Entitlement to compensation from the federal government will be assessed in each individual case.

You’ll find more information on the Entschädigung und Genugtuung bei Impfschäden (German, French and Italian only) website.

You’ll find further information on this on the page Protect yourself and others.

For all other persons under the age of 65 without risk factors, there is no recommendation to get a COVID-19 vaccination this autumn/winter. For such persons, the vaccination will provide moderate short-term protection from contracting and developing mild COVID-19.

Generally speaking, you can be infected with the coronavirus multiple times. Having had the disease or being vaccinated against it can protect you from developing a severe case of it; but neither of these will offer more than modest protection from reinfection.

Most side effects occur shortly after vaccination. As a rule, they are mild and last only a short time. Similar to the side effects of other vaccinations, these are mostly reactions at the injection site (pain in particular, but also redness and swelling) or general symptoms (such as fatigue, headache, aching muscles and joints or fever).

Contact your doctor if the side effects last for a longer period or get worse, or if there is a change in your wellbeing in the weeks after the vaccination.

Liquid particles from the airways can be divided into two categories based on their size: droplets and aerosols, although the distinction is a fluid one. While droplets fall to the ground after a short distance (of about 1.5 metres), aerosols can remain airborne for extended periods of time and can spread or accumulate indoors, especially in confined and poorly ventilated indoor spaces. They are propagated when people breathe and talk, and particularly when they’re laughing, shouting or singing, or in situations demanding increased breathing (such as when playing sports).

The coronavirus generally spreads via droplets and aerosols during close and protracted contact with an infected person. Close contact makes transmission easier because there can be higher concentrations of the virus. With greater distance to an infected person, the virus will be less concentrated, reducing the risk of transmission. This can also be achieved by ensuring that a room or any other indoor space is well ventilated, as this will also dilute the concentration of any virus present.

You can find out how to protect yourself and others, and how important it is to regularly ventilate a room, on the page Protect yourself and others.

Pregnant women can be vaccinated after individual clarification with their doctor. Vaccination can make sense in individual cases because it increases protection from severe disease for several months. A recommended vaccination is free of charge for pregnant women and is covered by their compulsory basic health insurance.

Almost everyone has already come into contact with the coronavirus (through vaccination or infection) and their immune system has dealt with the virus accordingly. The current virus variants tend to cause mild courses of disease in people with no risk factors. Not only that, but the risk of pregnancy complications or premature birth as a result of infection is lower than with previous variants. Pregnant women with no risk factors are therefore no longer considered to be a vulnerable group.

If you are pregnant and have questions about vaccination, talk to your doctor, midwife or maternity nurse.

Yes. Other vaccinations with inactivated vaccines (such as the flu vaccination) can also be administered before, at the same time or after a COVID-19 vaccination.

The question of whether COVID-19 vaccination also reduces viral transmission has to be re-examined with each new coronavirus variant.

When the vaccine was approved at the end of 2020, the level of protection against transmission was not yet known. It was only investigated in subsequent studies. The results were taken into account in the formulation of the vaccination recommendations.

The FOPH explicitly stated the following at a press conference on 19 December 2020: “Even vaccinated individuals will still need to adhere to the protective measures. Vaccination protects people from getting sick, but we still don’t know if it also protects against transmission. We don’t know if vaccinated individuals can also transmit the virus. We will learn more about that over the course of the next few weeks and months.”

The variants initially in circulation (the original virus and alpha variants) that dominated infection events until about mid-2021 have been observed in studies to show evidence of a reduction in viral spread after COVID-19 vaccination. Knowledge of protection against transmission has changed as a function of the variants in circulation. While there was evidence that vaccination against the first variants could also partially help against transmission, the situation began to change with the emergence of the delta variant in mid-2021. However, the statement that vaccination can help reduce transmission of the virus to other people was still correct, and was based on the latest available data and assessments by international expert panels.

The EKIF and FOPH assume that the vaccination does not provide any relevant protection against viral transmission in the case of the omicron variant, dominant since the end of 2021, and its subvariants. However, all vaccinations still increase protection against severe cases of illness, which is the main goal of the COVID-19 vaccination strategy.

Findings from clinical trials, other available evidence and assessment of the current epidemiological situation continuously inform revisions to the vaccination recommendations.

If you have specific questions about your pregnancy, please contact your gynaecologist or midwife. With their specialist expertise, they can assess your situation and discuss any measures you need to take.

If you experience any symptoms that could indicate a coronavirus infection, you should also consult your gynaecologist or midwife to discuss further steps.

The first vaccines were developed on the basis of the original coronavirus. However, since the beginning of the pandemic, the virus has continually mutated and new variants have emerged. To ensure the body's immune system can better recognise these new virus variants, the vaccines are adapted to these variants.

The treatment of side-effects counts as treatment of an illness. The costs will be paid by your mandatory basic health insurance, minus any cost shares (annual deductible and copayment).

People at especially high risk

All people at especially high risk aged 16 or over are advised to get a COVID-19 vaccination this autumn/winter. Such people have an increased risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19; and their immunity against contracting COVID-19 tends to decline faster, too. If you are such a person, getting the vaccination will improve your protection from developing severe COVID-19 and any associated complications for several months.

Pregnant woman

If you are pregnant, you can obtain a COVID-19 vaccination this autumn/winter after individual consultation with your doctor. Such vaccination may be sensible in some cases, because it will provide protection from developing severe COVID-19 for several months. With the coronavirus variants currently in circulation, the risk of developing pregnancy complications or of giving birth prematurely as a result of a COVID-19 infection is lower than was the case with previous variants.

If you require the vaccination for a trip, you can get vaccinated in accordance with the vaccine authorisations granted in Switzerland. Travel-related vaccinations are given outside the vaccination recommendation of the FOPH and are not covered by health insurance.

It may be sensible to wear a face mask to protect those at high risk. In view of their better filtering qualities when used correctly, filtering face piece respirators (such as valveless FFP masks) may also make sense to protect people in vulnerable groups or yourself in situations with an elevated risk.