This week the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported1 607 Covid-19 deaths, 11% more than last week (548). Switzerland’s Covid-19 death toll has reached 6,541 (6,003 confirmed positive). Tragically, a significant number of people in Switzerland will be grieving lost family members this Christmas. Switzerland’s hospitalised Covid-19 patient numbers, while below November’s peak, remain high. There […]
Covid: 22% of Geneva tests positive for antibodies
An update to an antibody study conducted by HUG and UNIGE suggests that 22% of Geneva’s population had been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus by December 2020. The study which began earlier in the year, and involved 2,072 people, suggests the number of people infected has doubled since June 2020 when 11% of the study […]
Covid: Swiss becoming more skeptical of vaccines
Mistrust of vaccines against Covid-19 continues to rise in Switzerland, according to a recently published survey. A survey run in Switzerland at the end of October 2020, found that only 49% were prepared to take a Covid-19 vaccine, a percentage significantly lower than the 62% recorded in a similar survey in April 2020. Of the […]
Covid: declaring extraordinary situation pointless right now, says Swiss minister
Speaking to broadcaster RTS, Swiss health minister Alain Berset said the pandemic was under control and that it currently made no sense to declare an extraordinary situation, a provision in Swiss law on managing infectious diseases that allows the Federal Council to take charge of the situation over and above cantonal governments. Declaring an extraordinary […]
Covid: Swiss government annonces 7pm closing and closures on Sundays
At its meeting on 11 December, the Federal Council tightened its measures to counter the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The aim is to reduce the level of contact between people and to prevent people from gathering together and spreading the virus. The level of infection has remained stubbornly high over the last two weeks, […]
Covid: Emergency vaccine approval not an option in Switzerland
Emergency approval of vaccines is not legally possible in Switzerland, according to Swissmedic, Switzerland’s drug approval body. However, Swissmedic says it is working closely with international partner authorities and is urgently reviewing all applications for Covid-19 vaccines and processing the information as it becomes available. Emergency approvals for the use of vaccines fall short of […]
Covid: Swiss deaths remain high as new cases rise
This week the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 548 Covid-19 deaths, 8% fewer than last week (598). Hospital staff reported they were suffering from exhaustion. Switzerland’s hospitalised Covid-19 patient numbers remain high. There are currently 2,878 hospitalised, a figure similar to the end of last week (2,866). The number is predicted rise to […]
Covid: why have Switzerland’s restrictions not worked?
Didier Pittet, head of the infection prevention and control at Geneva’s HUG hospital, responds to this question in an interview on RTS. According to Pittet, the virus is now widespread and testing is only picking up around a third of actual cases, leaving many undetected patients to potentially spread the disease. Pittet described the current […]
Covid vaccinations will be free in Switzerland
On 9 December 2020, Switzerland’s federal government adopted a change to the rules on healthcare to make vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus free to the public. The cost of vaccinations will be covered by health insurance, the cantons and Switzerland’s federal government. Early on in the pandemic in March 2020, the Swiss government decided the […]
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 […]
