On 11 January 2023, Switzerland’s government announced that the current epidemiological situation does not warrant compulsory testing for travellers from China. The Swiss Federal Council discussed the latest EU recommendations on the measures to be taken for persons entering the Union by air when it met on 11 January 2023 and decided that travellers from […]
Covid: 164,000 new cases this week in Switzerland
This week, 164,333 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Switzerland, up 16% from the 142,085 cases reported a week earlier. Given the high contagiousness of the Omicron variant, which now dominates (84%) in Switzerland, and how mild the symptoms often are, the real number of cases could be significantly higher. This week, 418 people were hospitalised with […]
Covid: demand for booster shots drops sharply in western Switzerland
The number of people getting third booster doses of vaccine against Covid-19 has fallen sharply in French-speaking Switzerland over recent weeks. In Geneva, around 200 people a day with appointments are failing to show up, reported Le Matin. In Vaud, the number of vaccination appointments made has dropped by half compared to the period leading […]
Covid: Swiss government sets out plans for further reopening
On 12 May 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced plans for further reopening. The epidemiological situation is easing in terms of case numbers, hospitalisations and intensive care unit capacity, said the government. The public are continuing to observe the protective measures, and the reopening steps introduced on 19 April 2021 have not led to an increase […]
Flu deaths surprisingly rare in Switzerland
Sometimes comparisons are drawn between the seasonal flu and Covid-19. But how many die from the seasonal flu in Switzerland in a typical year? According to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office, surprisingly few. Over the ten years from 2009 to 2018, an annual average of 1181 people died from the flu in Switzerland, according to death […]
A look back at assurances made at the time on the anniversary of the first Swiss Covid case
On 25 February 2020, Swiss authorities announced the discovery of the first known case of Covid-19 in Switzerland and assured the public that there was no reason to be concerned. The first case identified in Switzerland was a man in Ticino in his 70s, who had returned from a trip to northern Italy, where 220 […]
Covid: first person vaccinated in Switzerland
On Wednesday, a 90-year old resident of an old age home in Luzern, Switzerland, was vaccinated against Covid-19. She was the first person to be vaccinated against the disease in Switzerland. Older vulnerable people in four other Swiss cantons have been vaccinated since. 107,000 doses of the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine arrived in Switzerland on Tuesday and […]
Covid: Switzerland suspends flights from the UK and South Africa
Late on 20 December 2020, the Swiss government decided to suspend flights to Switzerland from the UK and South Africa following news of the discovery a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus. The decision by the Swiss government follows similar decisions by Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherland. Air, road, rail and maritime links […]
Covid: Switzerland approves first vaccine
On 19 December 2020, Swissmedic, Switzerland’s drug authorising agency, approved the first Covid-19 vaccination for the Swiss market. The agency approved the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech for adults from age 16. The first doses of vaccine will be delivered to Switzerland in the next few days. The first delivery will comprise 100,000 doses, followed by […]
Covid: Swiss government closes restaurants, bars and cultural venues
Faced with overworked hospital staff and rising cases, on 18 December 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Council decided to close restaurants, bars, cultural venues and sports and leisure facilities from 22 December 2020. The epidemiological situation is a cause of great concern, said the Federal Council. The number of infections is very high and continues to rise. […]
