Switzerland has authorised the usage of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine after a two-month rolling review, the Swissmedic regulatory authority said on Saturday.

“After a meticulous review of the available information, Swissmedic concluded that the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech is safe and that its benefit outweighs the risks,” the Swiss drugs regulator said in a statement.

Pfizer/BioNTech is the first vaccine against novel coronavirus approved in the wealthy Alpine nation. 

Swissmedic director Raimund Bruhin said, “The safety of patients is an essential prerequisite, especially where the authorisation of vaccines is concerned.”

“Thanks to the rolling procedure and our flexibly organised teams, we nevertheless managed to reach a decision quickly — while also fully satisfying the three most important requirements of safety, efficacy, and quality,” Bruhin said.

A nation with a population of 8.6 million, Switzerland has secured around 15.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, in deals with three manufacturers, reported AFP. Swiss has signed around three million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, around 7.5 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, and around 5.3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

A person needs two doses of all three manufacturers’ vaccines. 

This comes after the Swiss government on Friday announced that it will again close restaurants and bars amid a rise of COVID-19 cases and deaths increasing across the nation.

“The epidemiological situation is a cause of great concern,” the government said in a statement.

“The number of infections is very high and is continuing to rise. Hospitals and healthcare workers have been under extreme pressure for weeks and the festive period increases the risk of an even more rapid rise in cases,” it added.

Switzerland has recorded over 400,000 COVID-19 cases and nearly 6,000 deaths from the virus and is continuing to witness more than 4,000 new cases and 100 deaths each day.