On 8 December 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced it was considering further restrictions starting from 12 December 2020 and running until 20 January 2021. The Federal Council announced that it plans to harmonise and reinforce measures recently introduced by the cantons. It will meet on 11 December 2020 and again on 18 December 2020 to […]
Covid: cantons asked to do more after another deadly week in Switzerland
Today, Switzerland’s Federal Council called on cantons with increasing case numbers to take immediate action. It described the epidemiological situation as extremely serious. This week the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 598 Covid-19 deaths, 11% fewer than last week (675), but a figure that remains tragically high. Switzerland’s Covid-19 death toll has now […]
Covid: new restrictions for shops, restaurants and ski resorts
Today, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced new restrictions for shops, restaurants and ski resorts applicable from 9 December 2020. New daily cases remain stubbornly high at around 4,000 a day in Switzerland with an overall 14-day case rate of 595 per 100,000. Over summer, Switzerland’s trigger rate for requiring travellers entering Switzerland to quarantine was 60 […]
Initiative launched to prevent compulsory vaccination in Switzerland
Switzerland’s government has repeatedly said that vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus will not be compulsory. However, a group called the Movement for Swiss Freedom (MLS) started collecting signatures this week for a referendum on the subject, according to RTS. The initiative’s organisers want everyone to be able to decide whether or not they they want […]
New study reveals hidden long-term damage from Covid-19
A recent study at the University of Sheffield in the UK has detected previously unseen lung damage in long-term Covid-19 patients using a new scanning technique. The technique, which involves hyperpolarised xenon gas and MRI scanning to allow imaging of oxygen uptake in the lungs, has identified weakened lung function in Covid-19 patients not visible […]
Covid: daily cases down but level “not very reassuring”
On 1 December 2020, Switzerland reported 3,802 new cases of Covid-19 over 24 hours. The figure follows a daily average of around 2,900 over the weekend. The lower case figure represents progress in reducing the spread of the virus. 3,802 daily new cases is less than half the 7-day average peak of 8,238 reached on […]
Switzerland and the pandemic: does the economy matter more?
By Edward Girardet For a nation that prides itself on being on the global forefront of new technologies and science, particularly health care, Switzerland has an astoundingly poor record for dealing with Covid-19. The Lake Geneva region, which borders locked-down France, ranks as one of the worst coronavirus hotspots in Europe. Оформить займ 10000 на […]
Swiss politician wants Covid-19 scientific advisory group disbanded
The Swiss government response to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has drawn criticism from the Swiss Peoples Party (UDC/SVP). One party member has called for the scientific advisory group, known as the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force, to be disbanded, according to the newspaper Blick. The scientific advisory group supports the Federal Council, […]
Switzerland could be only nation in Europe to keep ski resorts open
Both France and Germany have announced that they will not allow ski resorts to open this year. Italy recently back tracked on a plan to allow resorts to open and Austria is undecided. During the first wave of infections during spring, ski resorts were hotspots for the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The Austrian resort […]
Covid-19 vaccine could be approved in Switzerland in first quarter of 2021
The US and EU have announced the possibility of beginning vaccinations in December 2020, however, in Switzerland it is likely to take longer. Philippe Girard, a director at Swissmedic, the body that approves drugs in Switzerland, discussed the process in an interview on RTS. Unlike the US and the EU, Switzerland has no law allowing […]
