Scientists at EPFL and Eawag have worked out how to detect Covid-19, even at low concentrations, in Switzerland’s waste water. Such a system could be used to warn of a resurgence of cases earlier than clinical diagnostic tests, possibly one week earlier. Initial wastewater samples from Lausanne, Zurich and Lugano have been analysed. Samples collected […]
Coronavirus: children under 10 can safely hug grandparents, say Swiss authorities
Daniel Koch, head of infectious diseases at Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), said experts at universities in Zurich, Bern and Geneva had concluded that children under 10 did not transmit the virus, according to RTS. “There is no indication that young children infect them and present a danger to them”, said Koch. However, […]
Coronavirus: Swiss schools and other establishments set to reopen
On 29 April 2020, Switzerland’s government announced plans to allow schools and other establishments to reopen on Monday 11 May 2020. From 11 May 2020, shops, restaurants, markets, museums, libraries, primary and lower secondary schools and sports training centres will be allowed to reopen. In addition, public transport will operate according to the standard timetable, […]
Coronavirus: relatively few medical staff infected in Switzerland
In Switzerland, around 3% of medical staff have been infected with Covid-19, based on data covering the period up until Easter, according to Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health. The highest rates of infection were among staff in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland, regions with Switzerland’s highest infection rates. The low rate suggests the Swiss health […]
Swiss GDP set for worst fall in decades
A team of economic experts working for the Swiss government forecasts a 6.7% fall in GDP and unemployment to rise to 3.9% in Switzerland in 2020. If these predictions prove right, it will be the biggest slump in economic activity since 1975. The Covid-19 outbreak has forced many companies in hospitality, retail, culture and leisure […]
Coronavirus: 5.5% of Geneva might be infected, according to antibody study
A study done by researchers at Geneva’s HUG hospital suggests a Covid-19 infection rate of 5.5% across the canton of Geneva. Antibody blood tests, run on a randomly selected sample of the canton’s population, suggest around 27,000 might have been infected by the virus, a number 5.7 times the official count of 4,733 recorded on […]
Researchers in Switzerland create a Covid-19 detector
A new device developed at Empa, ETH Zurich and Zurich University Hospital can detect Covid-19. In future the device could be used to measure the concentration of the virus in the environment – for example in places where there are crowds or in hospital ventilation systems. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the team, headed by Jing […]
Coronavirus: no general obligation to wear masks in Switzerland
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 […]
