This week, 184,055 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Switzerland, up 8% from the 171,085 cases reported a week earlier. In addition, the reported number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised jumped. This week 563 were admitted, up 17% from 482 the week before. Reported deaths rose too from 42 last week to 55 this week.
Some experts are concerned the return to normality could continue to swell hospital numbers. Epidemiologist Marcel Salathé, who described the situation as concerning, thinks we should be careful not to be too quick to abandon masks on public transport and isolation when infected, reported Le Matin.
Interviewed by the SonntagsZeitung, the specialist said the pandemic is not over. However, death and hospitalisation rates are now low thanks to vaccination and immunity in the population. The risk of dying from Covid is now the same, possibly even lower than with the flu, he said.
At the same time he thinks the situation will deteriorate and hospitalisations and deaths will rise. He also referred to Long Covid and studies that indicate links between Covid and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. For these reasons Salathé thinks the government should maintain the remaining measures beyond the end of March. In addition, he thinks the virus will get busy again after the summer and that a fourth doses of vaccine would be sensible.
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