This week, saw 14,451 new Covid-19 cases in Switzerland, up 10% from a week before (13,125). The 7-day average is currently 2,064 new daily cases, up from 1,875 last week. There were 98 Covid-19 deaths this week, up from 52 last week. At the same time Swiss hospitals report lower numbers of Covid-19 patients. One […]
Switzerland ranks in top 10 for gender equality
In 2021, Switzerland jumped from 26th to 10th (2020) in the WEF gender equality ranking. In 2021, Switzerland scored 0.798 overall – a score of 1.000 represents parity – up from 0.7000 in 2020. Top scoring Iceland came in at 0.892. Other nations in the top 10 included Finland (0.861), Norway (0.849), New Zealand (0.840), […]
Swiss air quality improves in 2020 but depends on location
In 2020, Switzerland was ranked 18th out of a 106 nations for the quality of its air, placing it comfortably in the top quintile. However, Swiss air quality depends on where you live. In 2020, Switzerland ranked 18th with a score of 9.00, up from a rank of 24th with a score of 10.90. The […]
Amnesty International critical of Swiss pandemic response
According to the human rights watchdog Amnesty International, the measures taken by the Swiss government in response to the pandemic placed disproportionate restrictions on freedom of expression. The organisation was also critical of Switzerland’s temporary suspension of asylum demands during the pandemic. Between March and June 2020, the Swiss government used exceptional powers in response […]
FILM: MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM ***1/2
9 April 2021. By Neptune In my exasperation last week, I had written, “I give up now.” I may have been exaggerating, though a kind reader took it seriously and wrote me not to give up nor lose courage and continue on into the Covid haze, finding new outlets for films and such… I shall […]
Swiss healthcare spending jumps in 2020 despite drop in April
Swiss healthcare spending fell steeply during the first wave of the pandemic as non-essential surgery was postponed. However, these savings have since been wiped out, leaving spending for the year 1.16% higher than in 2019, according to RTS. The total amount spent on healthcare in Switzerland in 2020 hit CHF 34.5 billion, CHF 400 million […]
IMF praises Switzerland’s economic response to the pandemic
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Switzerland has economically navigated the Covid-19 pandemic well so far. In 2020, the Swiss economy shrank by 2.9%, far less than many other advanced European economies. France (-8.2%), Germany (-4.9%), Italy (-8.9%) and the UK (-9.9%) all performed far worse. According to the IMF, the impact of the […]
Swiss bankruptcies fell by 7% in 2020
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic hit the Swiss economy. GDP fell by 2.9% compared to 2019. However, despite the fall in economic output the number of bankruptcies fell by 6.7% compared to 2019. In addition to a fall in the number of bankruptcies, the sum lost from closed bankruptcies fell 27%, after adjusting for the […]
France asks Switzerland for help with Covid patients
The French region of Bourgogne-Franche Comté has contacted several Swiss cantons and asked them if they would take Covid patients, according to RTS. Jacques Gerber, the minister of health in the canton of Jura told RTS that there had been a request from France to prepare in case French hospitals become overloaded. New cases have […]
Possible link found between very rare blood clots and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine
On 7 April 2021, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced the results of an investigation that suggest a possible link between the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and very rare cases of blood clots. By 16 March 2021, around 20 million people in the UK and EEA had received the vaccine, and by 18 March 2021, the […]
