OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant challenges to healthcare systems worldwide, also for Switzerland. Vaccination campaigns have been pivotal in curbing the spread of the disease, and booster vaccinations have emerged as potentially enhancing protection. This study aims to evaluate the budget impact of implementing an adapted Fall-2023-COVID-19 vaccination strategy for individuals aged 65+ years, and immunocompromised individuals aged 18+ in the Swiss healthcare system and assess its potential cost savings.

METHODS: A budget impact model was developed to estimate the financial implications of introducing an adapted Moderna mRNA Fall-2023-COVID-19 vaccination strategy compared to the absence of such a strategy. The model incorporated data on clinical vaccine effectiveness, disease burden, healthcare resource utilization, and costs (outpatient, hospitalizations, death, long COVID). Cost per vaccine dose was assumed to be 80 CHF. The analysis was conducted from the perspective of the Swiss healthcare system over a one-year time horizon.

RESULTS: The budget impact model revealed that a vaccination strategy with adapted Moderna Fall-2023 COVID-19 versus a no vaccination strategy would avoid 65,059 symptomatic infections. Furthermore, 5,574 hospitalizations, including 518 ICU cases with necessary ventilation and 1,048 deaths could be prevented. The overall costs for Covid-19 care could be estimated with CHF 1,264m without a program and with vaccination program CHF 1,221m, a cost reduction by 3.4%. Main areas of savings were reduced short term hospitalization cost with CHF 124m and total post-infection cost, including long covid, with CHF 39m. The 65–74-year-old population cohort showed the highest savings at CHF 36m.

CONCLUSIONS: Vaccinating the Swiss population aged 65+ years and immunocompromised individuals aged 18+ years with the Fall-2023-COVID-19 Moderna vaccine versus no vaccination campaign will prevent hospitalizations, ICU stays, long COVID, and deaths as well as associated treatment costs. The overall health care budget spending can be reduced by such a vaccination strategy.