3 April 2020. MORE SUPER FILMS to watch through this difficult time of the VIRUS. As with all great films, these classics will sweep you to another time and place… BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID OUT OF AFRICA LAWRENCE OF ARABIA THE LAST SAMURAI TOP GUN GLADIATOR THE KING AND I THE GREAT DICTATOR […]
Coronavirus: one third of Swiss hospitalisations younger than 60
According to statistics published by Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), 32% of those being hospitalised with coronavirus are under the age of 60. By the morning of 3 April 2020, 484 Covid-19 related deaths and 19,303 cases of infection were recorded in Switzerland. Of these around 2,850 had been hospitalised of which around […]
Coronavirus stories: my Verbier Covid-19 experience
By Doy Sison-Jones It all started with a get-together in the 1,500 metre-high Swiss alpine resort of Verbier. Perhaps it started even before then; I will never know. My closest friends and I from here, there, and everywhere were assembling for an extended ski weekend to celebrate long friendships, longevity and to enjoy some skiing […]
Coronavirus: experts warn of heightened suicide risk
The current health crisis has increased mental health risks, warns the Geneva-based organisation Stop Suicide. Stress, isolation and anxiety can have a negative effect on mental wellbeing. At such times it is important to consider the risk of suicide, said the organisation. Suicide is a tragic waste, both avoidable and preventable. According to the World Health […]
Coronavirus: deciding who gets a ventilator
By 31 March 2020, there were around 326 Covid-19 patients in intensive care and 228 on ventilators in Switzerland. It is estimated that there are around 750 ventilators across the country. If the health system reaches overload, medical professionals in Switzerland might be forced to make the kinds of difficult decisions being made in neighbouring […]
Coronavirus: loss of smell indicates “very high likelihood” of infection
While there is currently no scientifically proven link between anosmia (loss of smell) and Covid-19, more and more experts are saying the symptom is a strong indicator, particularly among those with few other symptoms. Gilbert Greub, head of the microbiology department at the CHUV hospital in Lausanne, is one such expert. “Given the widespread Covid-19 […]
Switzerland’s small companies rush to get interest free government loans
One third of the CHF 20 billion offered to small and medium sized Swiss companies has already been lent, according to RTS. The scheme, designed to help keep companies afloat during the coronavirus shutdown, allows banks to issue risk-free loans guaranteed by Switzerland’s federal government. So far banks across the country have made 30,000 loans […]
Coronavirus: why Switzerland’s high test rate is unlikely to contain the spread
By 30 March 2020, Switzerland had conducted 116,700 tests for Covid-19, a rate of 13,600 per million. The number of cases continues to rise in Switzerland. On 30 March 2020, Switzerland recorded 1,201 new cases bringing the total to 15,922. However, because of test rationing, Switzerland’s recorded case figure is an unknown percentage of the […]
Coronavirus: the fallibility of fatality rates
Naturally, many of us would like to know the fatality rate of Covid-19. But at this stage it is guesswork. Here are some of the problems with the most popular fatality rate calculations. The most popular calculation involves dividing the number deaths by the number of cases. Epidemiologists sometimes call this a naive case fatality […]
Coronavirus: Swiss test rate now higher than South Korea’s
On 26 March 2020, Switzerland’s federal government announced the number of Covid-19 tests conducted so far in Switzerland. South Korea, a nation often cited among those with high test rates, now trails Switzerland on the number per capita tests it has conducted. By 26 March 2020, South Korea had conducted 364,942 tests, a rate of […]
