On 2 March 2021, Switzerland’s Covid death toll reached 10,0051, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker.
Over the weekend, Switzerland’s President Guy Parmelin invited the nation to pause for a minute’s silence at noon on Friday 5 March 2021 to remember the victims of the pandemic and their loved ones. The president has also asked that church bells be rung. March 5, marks the anniversary of Switzerland’s first Covid death.
Over the weekend the president wrote on the presidential blog that he offers his thoughts also to those currently suffering from the illness, those fighting to recover from its after effects, and care givers and their friends and families. Together, step by step, we will beat the pandemic, reducing it to a bad memory, he said.
According to the official tally, 558,622 people have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Switzerland, however some estimates, such as one by Corona Immunitas, a research group studying population-wide immunity, estimate that as many as 1.5 million might have been infected by the disease in Switzerland, which would represent around 17% of the population.
1By 2 March 2021, the death toll published by Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) stood at 9,303. This figure is lower than the Johns Hopkins number partly because it excludes people who died after being clinically diagnosed with Covid. Some of these people were not tested because of test delays and test rationing during the first wave.
More on this:
Federal Statistical Office data (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
