On 16 December 2020, Switzerland’s Council of States, the nation’s upper house, accepted a 2021 budget deeply in the red following its acceptance last week by the National Council. In 2021, Switzerland’s federal government plans to collect CHF 75.8 billion while spending CHF 81.9 billion, plunging the budget CHF 6.1 billion into the red. The […]
Covid: Swiss becoming more skeptical of vaccines
Mistrust of vaccines against Covid-19 continues to rise in Switzerland, according to a recently published survey. A survey run in Switzerland at the end of October 2020, found that only 49% were prepared to take a Covid-19 vaccine, a percentage significantly lower than the 62% recorded in a similar survey in April 2020. Of the […]
Covid: declaring extraordinary situation pointless right now, says Swiss minister
Speaking to broadcaster RTS, Swiss health minister Alain Berset said the pandemic was under control and that it currently made no sense to declare an extraordinary situation, a provision in Swiss law on managing infectious diseases that allows the Federal Council to take charge of the situation over and above cantonal governments. Declaring an extraordinary […]
Brexit: new regulations on bringing animals from UK to Switzerland
From 1 January 2021, imports of animals and animal products from the United Kingdom into Switzerland will be subject to the same conditions as imports from countries outside the European Union. This has consequences for travellers wishing to import animals or products of animal origin from the United Kingdom into Switzerland. From 1 January 2021, […]
Covid: Swiss government annonces 7pm closing and closures on Sundays
At its meeting on 11 December, the Federal Council tightened its measures to counter the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The aim is to reduce the level of contact between people and to prevent people from gathering together and spreading the virus. The level of infection has remained stubbornly high over the last two weeks, […]
Switzerland’s population happy with the health system, according to survey
Switzerland’s health system is rated highly by the public, according to the latest survey conducted in eleven countries by the Commonwealth Fund Foundation. Every 3 years, the Foundation conducts a survey of the general population in eleven countries to investigate experiences of the health system. 88% of the 2,284 people surveyed across all of Switzerland […]
Covid: Emergency vaccine approval not an option in Switzerland
Emergency approval of vaccines is not legally possible in Switzerland, according to Swissmedic, Switzerland’s drug approval body. However, Swissmedic says it is working closely with international partner authorities and is urgently reviewing all applications for Covid-19 vaccines and processing the information as it becomes available. Emergency approvals for the use of vaccines fall short of […]
Covid: Swiss deaths remain high as new cases rise
This week the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 548 Covid-19 deaths, 8% fewer than last week (598). Hospital staff reported they were suffering from exhaustion. Switzerland’s hospitalised Covid-19 patient numbers remain high. There are currently 2,878 hospitalised, a figure similar to the end of last week (2,866). The number is predicted rise to […]
Swiss president one of world’s 100 most influential women, according to Forbes
As her year as Switzerland’s president comes to an end, Simonetta Sommaruga joins 99 other women on the Forbes list of the world’s 100 most influential women. Sommaruga was ranked 56th. The top three were Angela Merkel, Christine Lagarde and Kamala Harris, America’s new vice president. Merkel has held the top spot ten years in […]
One third of patients suffer long-Covid, according to Swiss study
A study run by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and Geneva’s HUG hospital (HUG) found around a third of those with Covid-19 had persistent symptoms. The study focused on a sample of 669 patients among 5,534 testing positive for Covid-19 during the study period. Only symptomatic patients were being tested between 18 March and 15 […]
