In the week to 18 September 2020, the reported number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections recorded in Switzerland was 3,044, 12% higher than the 2,707 cases recorded the week before. The total number of recorded cases stood at 49,283 by 18 September 2020.
The 7-day rolling average number of daily new cases this week was 435, up from 387 the week before.
Infection rates per 100,000 in Switzerland are 67 and 36 over the last 14 and 7 days. Switzerland now exceeds its own definition of a high risk region of 60 infections per 100,000 over 14 days. However, infection rates vary significantly across the country.
14-day infection rates per 100,000 are highest in Vaud (213), Fribourg (133), Geneva (124), Neuchâtel (63) and Zurich (61). Rates in all of these cantons exceed the FOPH definition of a high risk region.
Germany added the cantons of Geneva and Vaud to their list of risk areas on 9 September 2020 and Fribourg on 16 September 2020 – full German list. German residents are not banned from visiting these parts of Switzerland, however they are advised against doing so and anyone entering Germany from these regions must quarantine.
Belgium has banned its residents from travelling to the canton of Vaud and Fribourg. and recommends increased vigilance when travelling to the cantons of Valais, Jura, Aargau, Bern, Geneva, Solothurn, Neuchâtel, Basel-Stadt, Zürich, Schwyz and Zug.
By 18 September, 2,045 deaths had been recorded in Switzerland, 25 higher than 7 days earlier – the 2,045 figure above differs from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) number of 1,765. This is because the FOPH number excludes clinically diagnosed cases included in numbers published by cantonal health authorities.
The canton of Vaud, Switzerland’s current hotspot, introduced restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus on 17 September 2020. Measures include closing nightclubs and capping the number of people allowed at gatherings.
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