Over the next few weeks, Switzerland’s Federal Council will gradually relax measures to protect against the spread of Covid-19. Keeping a safe distance and washing hands remain the most effective protective measures, said the government. And while businesses are required to protect staff and customers in ways that may include wearing masks, the Swiss government […]
Coronavirus: new daily cases in Switzerland back down to where they were 6 weeks ago
By 24 April 2020, a total of 28,667 cases of Covid-19 infection had been recorded in Switzerland, a rise of 1,599 over the preceding 7 days, according to data from Worldometers. By 23 April, the 3-day rolling average number of new daily cases had fallen to 184. The last time the figure was this low […]
Coronavirus: Switzerland’s search for antibodies
How many people in Switzerland have already had Covid-19? This is a question a network of Swiss scientists is trying to answer. In Switzerland, RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) swab testing for Covid-19 has generally been reserved for only the sickest patients. This means many of those infected are missing from the official case […]
Coronavirus: if we all got it
Because Covid-19 testing in many countries is skewed towards testing only those with the worst symptoms, some argue official fatality rates are misleadingly high. They wonder what would happen if the virus was allowed to run wild. At this stage we don’t know the long term effects of Covid-19. Beyond the obvious short term impact […]
Coronavirus: the age difference behind lower Swiss death rate
Switzerland’s Covid-19 death rate has been lower than much of the rest of Europe. A lower infection rate among older people appears to be one reason why. The rates of deaths among those either recovering or dying have been particularly high in Belgium (40%), France (34%) and Italy (31%). In other countries such as Austria […]
Coronavirus attacks cardiovascular system, according to recent research
Recently published research suggests Covid-19 is more than a lung disease. SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, appears to infects an individual via an enzyme known as ACE2 (angiotensin converting enzyme 2). SARS-CoV-2 prefers to infect and latch on to cells that have ACE2 on the outside. ACE2 is found in endothelial cells, which line the interior […]
Coronavirus: predicting post-lockdown Switzerland with positivity
As Switzerland moves towards easing Covid-19 social restrictions, some fear the virus will get away again. A key part of containing the spread is testing. One way to evaluate how comprehensive testing is is to look at positivity, the percentage of tests that are positive. Imagine the population were a jar of jelly beans, […]
WHO director cautions European nations as they ease Covid-19 restrictions
A number of European countries, including Switzerland, have announced plans to ease restrictions put in place to cut the spread of Covid-19. On 16 April 2020, Dr Hans Kluge, WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, warned of the risks ahead. Make no mistake, despite this spring weather, we remain in the midst of a storm. Several […]
Switzerland leads neighbours on coronavirus testing
Despite widespread rationing of Covid-19 tests, Switzerland is among the nations that have tested the most. While many people with mild to moderate symptoms have not been tested, Switzerland’s overall test rate is high when compared internationally. By 16 April 2020, close to 2.4% of the population had been tested. Rates in Germany (2.1%), Italy […]
Coronavirus: Swiss government presents shutdown exit plan
On 16 April 2020, the Swiss government presented its plan for emerging from Switzerland’s coronavirus shutdown. Over the last few days the number of recorded new daily infections has been far below the worst days experienced since the outbreak began. In March 2020, daily new cases regularly exceed 1,000, occasionally exceeding 1,300. Over the last […]
