Coronavirus: anger in Switzerland after South African tycoon Johann Rupert jumps vaccine queue
- The Richemont boss received his first dose of a Covid-19 jab at a Swiss clinic his family owns
- His connection to the health centre has raised concern that he got preferential treatment as the vast majority of the elderly still wait for the shot
The South African billionaire got the shot at Hirslanden, which is owned by Mediclinic International, a hospital operator the Rupert family has invested in through Remgro Ltd. Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger said he was one of 12 test patients in the canton of Thurgau shortly before vaccinations were offered to a wider public on January 12.
Rupert’s wealth and connection to Hirslanden raised concern that he got preferential treatment and jumped the line as the vast majority of the Swiss elderly and high-risk population still wait for the shot. “This is an affront to all Thurgau residents who have been waiting for a vaccination appointment for weeks,” Nina Schlaefli, a Socialist politician, said in a tweet.
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Rupert said his doctor arranged the vaccination because he is 70 and has co-morbidities as defined by Swiss law. The country has started vaccinations for various groups of people, including those over 75 or with serious health issues.
“We need herd immunity ASAP for the world to avert massive unemployment and chaos,” he said by phone. “I have been a Swiss taxpayer since the start of Richemont 31 years ago.”
Richemont’s executive committee decided in December that management would get vaccinated as early as possible to set an example for employees, Rupert said.
The billionaire is a resident of Satigny, a village in the canton of Geneva.
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The government has been criticised for its delayed publication of the numbers amid a perceived slow roll-out of inoculations in the country of 8.5 million.
Rupert is also a prominent member of the wealthy elite in South Africa, a country that’s some way down the queue for vaccines with only 1.5 million doses ordered to date for a population of more than 60 million. His family has committed 1 billion rand (US$66 million) to South Africa’s Solidarity Fund to support small businesses and save jobs.
