This week, 11,407 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Switzerland, up 81% from the week before (6,303).
143 hospital new hospital admissions were reported this week. Delays with hospital admissions data mean that recent figures are undercounted. Last week’s hospitalisation figures rose significantly after data collection caught up with reality. Similarly, the 143 admissions recorded this week will be revised upwards as the data comes in. In any case the 7-day average daily admissions trend points towards rising hospital admissions. 7-day average daily admissions rose from 2 to 25 between 1 July and 8 August 2021.
This week saw 8 deaths, up from 3 the week before, a relatively low but rising number.
50% of Switzerland’s population has now been fully vaccinated, including most of the vulnerable. This has driven up the level of immunity among those more likely to develop severe disease, weakening the link between the number infected and the number dying. The last time new cases were at the current level the daily death rate was many times higher than it is now.
However, the unvaccinated remain at risk, according to the government, and will become infected sooner or later. Experts are encouraging people to vaccinate ahead of autumn to quell rising rates of infection and to reduce the risk of straining the health system.
According to figures obtained by RTS, between a quarter and third of those infected with Covid-19 in French-speaking Switzerland at the end of July 2021 were people returning from holiday.
The percentage of the population fully vaccinated this week rose from 49% to 50%, far short of government targets.
On Wednesday, at the weekly Covid briefing, the government announced no changes to current measures, citing uncertainty around the number of people who could end up in hospital as people return from holidays, schools reopen and people start mixing indoors more as temperatures fall.
The remaining restrictions in Switzerland include wearing masks in public transport and in some indoor areas, a requirement to present a valid Covid certificate to enter major events, limitations on the numbers gathering privately: 30 people inside and 50 people outside, and an indoor event cap of 250 people.
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Alexey Veligodskiy says
Your citation of an RTS article doesn’t seem correct. You wrote “According to figures obtained by RTS, between a quarter and third of those returning from holiday in French-speaking Switzerland are infected with Covid-19”. The article says that between a quarter and a third of those infected in the recent weeks have just returned from their holidays. What you wrote implies a huge number of new infections, while the original article does not.
Le News says
Yes. Thank you for pointing out this error, which we have now corrected.