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 […]
Nearly three quarters of Swiss university students have side jobs, finds study
A study published by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office found that 73% of students in tertiary education did paid work alongside their studies. The study, which took place in 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic, also looked at how students spend their time, where they live and how they finance their studies. Roughly three-quarters (73%) of students […]
Covid: more than 2% of Switzerland fully vaccinated
By 26 February 2021, the latest figures showed that 2.6% of Switzerland’s population had been fully vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and 8.67 doses per 100 people had been administered across the country. By 26 February 2021, 221,259 people in Switzerland had been fully vaccinated representing 2.6% of the population. 751,009 doses of vaccine had […]
Covid: cases up slightly in Switzerland as reproduction rate goes above 1
Over the seven days to 26 February 2021, Switzerland reported 7,157 new positive Covid-19 cases, 1.5% more than the week before, ending an unbroken downward trend since early January 2021. The Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force remains concerned about the emergence of faster spreading strains. Currently 58% of infections are with potentially more problematic variants, up from […]
Low-income households had lower Covid-19 rates but suffered worse economically
The economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was unequal, hitting low-income households far harder than those on high incomes, according to a study published by the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich. Infection rates rise with incomeMore people in the higher income range reported being infected with Covid-19 than those in lower income groups. […]
Swiss lakes at risk to climate change
Climate change could leave some Swiss lakes with higher amounts of algae and toxic cyanobacteria, according to a recent study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). A simulation done by scientists at Eawag shows that as climate change alters water temperature, ice cover and mixing of many Swiss lakes could […]
Covid: 25% of Vaud residents have antibodies, according to study
A recent round of antibody testing suggests that a quarter of people living in the canton of Vaud have antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The antibody study run by Unisanté, which involves periodically testing a sample of the population, has been operating since May 2020. The latest results, which involved testing around 1,000 people over […]
Record fall in Swiss hotel occupancy in 2020
In 2020, the number of overnight stays in Swiss hotels fell by 40% to 23.7 million, a fall of 15.8 million nights compared to 2019. The fall, driven by Covid-19, is the largest fall in overnight stays in Switzerland since the end of the 1950s, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office. Plummeting hotel stays were […]
Coronavirus: Swiss government confirms March reopening plan
On 24 February 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council confirmed its earlier plan to allow shops, museums, library reading rooms, outdoor sports and leisure facilities, zoos and botanical gardens to reopen on 1 March 2021. In addition, outdoor events involving family and friends and sports and cultural activities involving up to 15 people will also be permitted […]
A look back at assurances made at the time on the anniversary of the first Swiss Covid case
On 25 February 2020, Swiss authorities announced the discovery of the first known case of Covid-19 in Switzerland and assured the public that there was no reason to be concerned. The first case identified in Switzerland was a man in Ticino in his 70s, who had returned from a trip to northern Italy, where 220 […]
