As concern swells over the highly transmissible Omicron variant, Swiss authorities say they are shortening the time people vaccinated against Covid need to wait before getting an additional dose, reports AFP.

The Federal Office of Public Health said early data on the new and heavily mutated Omicron variant indicated that it was better than previous coronavirus strains at dodging vaccine protections, but that a booster shot could “greatly improve protection”.

As a result, it said, “a booster vaccination with an mRNA vaccine is now recommended for everyone aged 16 years and older as early as four months after initial immunisation, especially for older people.”

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