Johann Rupert received the coronavirus vaccine at a Swiss clinic his family owns before it was available to the public. Has the South-African luxury goods billionaire jumped the queue?

After hunkering down in South Africa’s Eastern Cape for most of 2020, Johann Rupert headed for Switzerland when the alpine nation approved a coronavirus vaccine last month, Swiss daily «Tagesanzeiger» (behind paywall, in German) reported on Thursday.

There, the controlling shareholder of luxury goods firm Richemont received the first shot of vaccine of two roughly ten days ago, the outlet reported. Rupert, worth $6.5 billion according to «Forbes» did so at a Swiss private clinic owned by his family.

Litany Of Medical Issues

A spokesman for the clinic, Hirslanden, confirmed the report, saying the 70-year-old Rupert qualifies as a «test» patient before the scheme's official start because he is overweight, diabetic, and has high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. 

The clinic was chosen by the Swiss government to distribute the vaccine in Thurgau, a canton in eastern Switzerland. Rupert's official domicile is Satigny, near Geneva – literally the opposite end of the country from where he was vaccinated.

Rupert told the Swiss newspaper «it is important to me to set an example for all the employees of my company. My message is: only by vaccinating will we be able to find our way out of this crisis.» 

Questions Over Wealth, Access

The region began vaccinating the public on January 12, after Rupert and others received the first injection. While fully in line with Swiss rules, the move raises troubling questions over wealth and access to a vaccine that is being rolled out by the Swiss government in stages.

Those over the age of 75 and patients with pre-existing conditions are currently being vaccinated. Rupert’s native South Africa is distributing the vaccine without registering it, but does not have anywhere near enough doses to cope with a recent surge that is likely linked to a new, highly transmittable mutation of the coronavirus.

First Attempt Failed

In Switzerland, Rupert’s first attempt to receive the vaccine at a clinic in Lucerne reportedly failed – «Tagesanzeiger» didn’t specify in what way – before he was able to receive the first of two shots shortly before Thurgau’s vaccination program opened to the public.

Hirslanden, which posted 1.8 billion Swiss francs ($2.02 billion) in revenue last year, operates 17 clinics in Switzerland. South Africa-based Mediclinic, which owns all of Hirslanden’s stock, is in turn controlled by a Rupert family vehicle.

Rupert also controls 51 percent of Richemont, owner of luxury brands like IWC, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Net-a-Porter, while owning just 10 percent of shares.