Since reaching a peak in early November 2020, Covid-19 cases in Switzerland have fallen significantly. The 7-day daily average was 8,238 on 8 November 2020. By 8 February 2021, this figure was down by more than 80% at 1,437. However, according to Martin Ackermann, head of the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force, now is […]
Covid: Israel’s vaccine experiment looks promising
Israel leads the world in the race to vaccinate against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, in what some are calling the world’s leading Covid-19 vaccine experiment. 64 doses of vaccine per 100 people have been administered there, far more than in any other nation. Israel’s strategy has focused on protecting the most vulnerable first. By 6 February […]
The cause of the apocalyptic skies covering Switzerland
On 6 February 2021, across parts of Switzerland, people awoke to a strange yellowish light and brown skies. The strange light and brown sky is caused by sand from the Sahara desert. It is a well known meteorological phenomenon that occurs around three times a year in Switzerland, according to SRF Meteo. Areas currently most […]
Swiss shares can now be traded again in London
On 1 July 2019, the EU withdrew stock market equivalence for equity securities listed on the Swiss stock exchange. Since then it has not been possible to trade Swiss-listed shares in the EU. The loss of EU financial market equivalence occurred while Switzerland was haggling with Brussels over a framework agreement aimed at replacing Switzerland’s […]
Swiss women granted right to vote 50 years ago this weekend
On 7 February 1971, Swiss women were granted the right to vote after a referendum on the subject. This weekend marks the 50-year anniversary. An early notable event in the fight for women’s suffrage in Switzerland was a demand to have the right included in a revision of Zurich’s cantonal constitution in 1863. However the […]
Covid: Swiss deaths down 30% this week
Switzerland’s Covid figures have improved significantly since the peak of the second wave in November and December, when deaths rose to around 100 a day. Over the seven days to 5 February 2021, Switzerland reported 10,553 new positive Covid-19 cases and 216 deaths. The number of daily cases reported in Switzerland over the same period averaged […]
Swiss democracy hit by pandemic, according to ranking
In 2020, globally, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index fell from 5.44 in 2019 to 5.37 (on a 0-10 scale), driven by falls across all regions for the first time since 2010, in the aftermath of the global economic and financial crisis. The deterioration in average scores was driven largely by measures taken by governments […]
Covid: responding to coronavirus conspiracy and denial
This week, the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force published a guide on responding to coronavirus conspiracy and denial. During the second wave, trust in the decisions of the Swiss authorities has dropped below where it was in spring, and the social consensus on how to respond to the pandemic eroded over the summer, said […]
Vaccine delays costing Switzerland up to 100 million francs a day
A recent study by Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force calculates that vaccination delays are reducing Switzerland’s national output (GDP) by between CHF 50 – 100 million per day, according to RTS. Marius Brülhart, an economics professor, told the broadcaster that vaccinating as fast as possible is important not only from a health stand point […]
New Swiss maps go live
After seven years of work, the 400+ staff at swisstopo have launched the next generation of Swiss maps. The work has resulted in a huge database of digital geo data that allows nearly every feature of the land and every street and building to be rendered in 3D based on digital vectors. The database contains […]
