Five years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts worldwide are drawing a balance. Swedish epidemiologist Anders Tegnell emphasizes in his book “The Other Way” that Sweden followed an unconventional approach by forgoing lockdowns, in contrast to many other countries that implemented restrictive measures.
In Switzerland, the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper published an interview with demographer Kaspar Staub on the occasion of the pandemic’s fifth anniversary, in which he analyzed the decline in birth rates. Staub found that the downward trend had already begun before the pandemic and that comprehensive studies have not been able to establish a direct link to vaccination.
A central point of his argument is the time period of the significant decline in birth rates, which began in early 2022. Counting back nine months, the causative time period precedes the general start of vaccination for younger people without pre-existing conditions.
In the city of Zurich, the broad registration for vaccinations was opened in April 2021. However, it remains unclear whether many women of childbearing age were vaccinated at that time.
A fact is that the birth rate in the city of Zurich has fallen to its lowest level since 2008. A comparison of birth numbers between the years 2024 and 2021 shows a significant decline. The exact causes of the decline remain the subject of ongoing scientific research.
In Germany, a significant decline in the birth rate was also observed. The general fertility rate fell from 1.5 to 1.6 in 2021 to around 1.4 by the beginning of 2022. Martin Bujard from the Federal Institute for Population Research mentioned economic problems caused by the pandemic and other crises, as well as changes in the behavior of women who wanted to get pregnant after being vaccinated, as possible causes.
It is important to note that, despite circulating misinformation, there is no scientific evidence that COVID-19 vaccinations affect fertility. Claims that the vaccination causes infertility have been refuted by experts. Studies show that neither the infection nor the vaccination have a negative impact on fertility.
In summary, the observed decline in birth rates in several countries has multiple causes. Economic uncertainties, health concerns and individual decisions may have contributed to this demographic change. Further research is needed to understand the exact reasons for this demographic shift.