Last week, the parliament of the cantonal government of Basel-City voted in favour of banning the use of heating oil and making roof solar panels compulsory by 2035. The legal details have not yet been worked out, so it remains unclear what the new rules will look like at this stage. Currently, new buildings in […]
Covid: Swiss government now recommends boosters after 4 months as Omicron spreads
On 21 December 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Department of Public Health (FOPH) and Federal Vaccination Commission (EKIF) announced that they had adjusted their recommendation for administering booster shots of mRNA vaccines from a minimum of 6 months after the last shot to a minimum of 4 months. The recommendation applies to everyone aged 16 or over, […]
Covid: rising patient numbers add to pressure on Swiss hospitals this week
This week, 57,836 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Switzerland, down 3% from the 59,503 reported the week before. However, despite the new case rate stabilising, hospitalisations and deaths are elevated and have the government concerned. On 17 December 2021, the Federal Council described the epidemiological situation as extremely worrying. The number of hospital admissions continues […]
Covid: Swiss government tightens restrictions from Monday
On 17 December 2021, Switzerland’s federal government announced new stricter Covid measures from Monday 20 December 2021. From Monday, only people who have been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid will be able to enter restaurants, cultural, sporting and leisure venues and attend indoor events. Restricting access to these two groups has been dubbed the […]
Covid: Swiss government recommends vaccination of 5-11 year olds
This week, Switzerland’s federal government recommended two-dose Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11, reported RTS, in particular those suffering from chronic illness. On 10 December 2021, Swissmedic, Switzerland’s drug approval agency, announced its approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for use on children of this age. Once the vaccines are available for this age […]
Covid: unvaccinated dying at 8 times the rate of vaccinated in Switzerland
Over the last 4 weeks, around half1 of those dying from Covid-19 in Switzerland were unvaccinated. At a glance, it might appear that vaccines are not working very well. However, they are proving to be highly effective, reducing the chance of dying from the disease by more than 80%. Over the 4 weeks to 14 […]
An average 80 year old in Switzerland has a life expectancy of around 10 years
When people mention life expectancy, it is likely they are referring to average life expectancy at birth. In Switzerland, in 2020, this figure was 81.0 years for men and 85.1 years for women. However, this does not mean an average 80 year-old man should expect to live only 1 more year or an average woman […]
Swissmedic gives green light to vaccination of 5-11 year olds with Pfizer
Swissmedic said that it has carefully examined all the data submitted with the application for an extension for the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech for use on 5 to 11 year olds. The vaccine is safe and effective in this age group, said the drug approval agency. The vaccine for children is given in two doses […]
Cigarettes might soon cost double in Switzerland
The world is getting tougher on tobacco. This week, New Zealand’s government announced plans to make it illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone born after 2008. In Switzerland, where cigarettes are around 40% of the price in New Zealand, an anti-smoking association has called for prices to be hiked from CHF 8 to CHF 14 […]
Covid: case numbers reach record levels in Switzerland this week
This week, 59,503 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Switzerland, up 13% from the 52,470 reported the week before. Daily case numbers on a 7-day average basis now exceed last winter’s peak. The latest 7-day average figure published on 4 December 2021 was 9,390. The peak last winter was 8,061. Compared to last winter, […]
