Tobacco is big business. Its scale makes the industry a formidable foe for those hoping to spare people the damaging health effects of tobacco addiction. Most people start smoking when they are young so a group in Switzerland launched an initiative to ban tobacco advertising targeted at young people. Swiss voters will vote on the proposal […]
Covid: weekly cases and hospitalisations fall sharply in Switzerland
This week, 157,683 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Switzerland, down 24% from the 208,542 cases reported a week earlier. The fall in the reported number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised was more muted, falling 5% from 518 to 492 across the week. Covid-19 deaths were also down. Across the week, 70 Covid-19 related deaths were reported, a figure […]
Covid: current wave has peaked in Switzerland, says health chief
The fifth wave of Covid-19 infections has peaked, said Virginie Masserey, a health expert at the the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) on Tuesday, reported RTS. Despite continued high numbers of daily infections, the fifth wave has peaked, according to the health expert. In addition, Covid-19 patient hospital numbers remain stable, she said. There […]
Swiss to vote on compulsory vaccination
A referendum aimed at preventing the Swiss government from introducing compulsory vaccinations has collected more than the required 100,000 signatures to put the question to Swiss voters. In addition, the signatures have been verified by the authorities, according to 20 Minutes. Vote organisers announced the collection of around 125,000 signatures. After official counting and verification […]
Covid: weekly cases and hospitalisations both down in Switzerland
This week, 208,542 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Switzerland, down 8% from the 226,080 cases reported a week earlier. Also, the reported number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised dropped 3% from 533 to 518 across the week. In addition, the reported number Covid-19 patients in intensive care (ICU) in Switzerland fell 8% from 210 to 194 over […]
Covid: Swiss government lifts requirements to quarantine and work from home
On 2 February 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced it was lifting the requirements to work from home and to quarantine after contact with an infected person from Thursday, 3 February 2022. In addition, the government is looking at the possibility of lifting a wide range of other measures. Further decisions are to be made on […]
Covid: cases continue to rise this week in Switzerland but hospitals stable
This week, 226,080 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Switzerland, up 16% from the 194,679 cases reported a week earlier. However the number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised has remained fairly stable. This week, 533 people were reported hospitalised with Covid-19 in Switzerland, 14% above the 468 reported the week before. These figures tend to rise once data […]
Covid: Swiss health system unlikely to be overloaded by Omicron, according to model
Given the greater infectiousness of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, many experts have been concerned that it could push the healthcare system to its breaking point. However, the seemingly less hazardous nature of the variant has led researchers in Switzerland and Germany to conclude that hospital overload is unlikely. In the UK, the […]
Overwhelming majority of ICU patients in Switzerland unvaccinated, show data
On 25 January 2022, a study published by Zurich University Hospital found that 97% of Covid-19 ICU patients since the start of Switzerland’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign were unvaccinated. The study evaluated hospital data from 964 Covid-19 patients who were treated in intensive care units in Swiss hospitals in the nine months since the start of […]
Swiss researchers discover how to predict those at risk of Long Covid
Many who get sick with Covid-19 end up with long term symptoms, known loosely as Long Covid. On 25 January 2022, researchers in Switzerland published research results that help to predict which Covid-19 patients are likely to develop Long Covid. The researchers uncovered a signature immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is associated with […]
