Over the week to 30 October 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 50,598 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, bringing the total to 154,251. Week-on-week reported laboratory-confirmed cases rose 73%, up from 29,231 the week before. Swiss hospitals are filling up with Covid-19 patients. An additional 279 were admitted over the last 24 hours, according to FOPH. The […]
Coronavirus: a record 9,386 new daily cases in Switzerland
On 29 October 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 9,386 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection over 24 hours, bringing the total to 145,044. New daily cases continue to rise in Switzerland. The number of reported laboratory-confirmed cases today was 9% higher than yesterday. Over the last 14 days, Switzerland has recorded 837 new cases per […]
Switzerland cuts its quarantine list as infections rise steeply
On 28 October 2020, Switzerland’s federal government removed all but 6 nations/regions from its quarantine list, effective from 29 October 2020. The rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection has risen so high in Switzerland that most of the world is less infected. Quarantining those arriving in Switzerland from all but a few places is now senseless. Currently, […]
Covid: Swiss government announces new measures
On 28 October 2020, after a record number of 8,616 daily new cases of infection were reported, Switzerland’s federal government announced new measures to fight against the spread of Covid-19. These rules come into effect from Thursday 29 October 2020. Nightclubs to closeDiscos and nightclubs will be closed. New rules for restaurants and bars No […]
Covid: UK study suggests natural immunity short lived
Levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies wane quite rapidly after infection, researchers from Imperial College London have found. The team, which measured SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in 365,000 people between June and September saw a decline of 26% in the number testing positive for antibodies. At the start, antibodies were found in 6.0% of those tested with prick […]
Coronavirus: a record 8,600 new daily cases in Switzerland
On 28 October 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 8,616 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection over 24 hours, bringing the total to 135,658. Close to half of Switzerland’s laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported over the last two weeks (66,954). In addition, over the last two weeks, positivity – the percentage of tests coming back […]
Coronavirus: questions raised over Switzerland’s low test rate
Swiss broadcaster RTS has raised questions about the level of SARS-CoV-2 testing in Switzerland, which in recent months has been significantly lower than some other developed nations. Numerous infectious disease experts have talked of the importance of testing. Chains of transmission cannot be broken without knowing who is infected. Didier Pittet, head of the infection […]
Swiss-Kiwi wine educator, writer and reviewer taken by Covid
In 2014, when Le News was still a print newspaper, the editorial team was approached by Nina Bobillier, a bubbly wine writer and educator who had recently brought her knowledge and enthusiasm for wine from her native New Zealand to Switzerland, where she also had family connections. Over the years, from her new home near […]
Coronavirus: 17,440 new cases recorded in Switzerland over the weekend
Numbers published today by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) show a further 17,440 tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Switzerland over 72 hours, a daily average of 5,813. Last Monday, the same 72-hour figure was 8,737, roughly half this Monday’s number. Half of Switzerland’s laboratory-confirmed cases since the outbreak began in February […]
Coronavirus: Geneva hospital calls for volunteers as numbers rise rapidly
On Sunday 25 October 2020, Geneva’s HUG hospital issued a call for volunteers as the number of Covid-19 patients rises rapidly. The hospital seeks medical, care and administrative volunteers to bolster and relieve their staff. In addition, they seek those who might have recently retired or who are on leave. Bertrand Levrat, the hospital’s chief, […]
