Category Archive: 3a) Health

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Coronavirus: new cases in Switzerland reach highest level since April

2020-08-13

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2020-08-13

Today, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) announced 274 new recorded cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection over 24 hours. The last time Switzerland had a daily case number above this was on 19 April 2020 when 336 new cases were recorded.

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Coronavirus: Swiss health authority adds pregnant women to risk list

2020-08-09

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2020-08-09

After a number of recent studies that suggest pregnant women are exposed to higher risks from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) adds them to the list of people vulnerable to Covid-19. The FOPH reached its recent conclusion based on discussions with the Swiss society of gynecology and obstetrics. The society sets out the findings of a number of studies in a report.

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Switzerland agrees deal for 4.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine

2020-08-08

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2020-08-08

Switzerland has signed an agreement with the American company Moderna to buy 4.5 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, which is moving into phase 3 testing, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

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Coronavirus: new cases in Switzerland remain at last week’s level

2020-08-08

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2020-08-08

In the seven days to 7 August 2020, the reported number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections recorded in Switzerland was 1037, roughly the same as the 1,078 cases recorded the week before. Over the weeks prior to this there were 772 and 692 new cases, according to worldinfometer.com.

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Most returning to Switzerland from Covid-19 risk countries skipping quarantine

2020-07-27

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2020-07-27

Less than half of those returning to Switzerland from countries listed by the Swiss government as having a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection are complying with the quarantine rules set out in Switzerland’s Epidemic Act, according to an estimate by the NZZ newspaper.

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Referendum launched against SwissCovid app

2020-07-26

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2020-07-26

A group in Switzerland has decided to launch a vote against Switzerland’s contact tracing app, an application designed to make it easier to know whether someone has been in contact with someone infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

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Switzerland adds 15 nations to its list of compulsory quarantine countries

2020-07-25

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2020-07-25

From 23 July 2020, people arriving in Switzerland from 42 nations must quarantine for 10 days. On 23 July 2020, the government added 15 nations to its existing list of nations where there is an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Coronavirus: immunity might disappear within months in some patients

2020-07-16

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2020-07-16

A recently published study by researchers at King’s College London shows SARS-CoV-2 antibodies fall to undetectable levels within 60 days in some patients. These findings potentially undermine the efficacy of vaccines aimed at triggering an antibody response, along with hopes of herd immunity.

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Coronavirus: no significant slowdown in new cases in Switzerland

2020-07-13

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2020-07-13

In the seven days to 10 July 2020, the reported number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections recorded in Switzerland was 589, a similar number to the week before, when 615 new cases were recorded.

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Coronavirus: Swiss government makes masks compulsory on public transport

2020-07-02

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2020-07-02

On 1 July 2020, Switzerland’s federal government announced that it would become compulsory to wear masks on public transport from 6 July 2020. Due to the the growing number of people using public transport and a rise in the number of people testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 since mid-June, the Federal Council has decided to make it compulsory for those taking public transport to wear a mask.

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Could Swiss ski resorts face Covid-19 lawsuits?

2020-06-29

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2020-06-29

As the events and decisions surrounding the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus become clearer, fingers are being pointed. A mass lawsuit targeting events in the Austrian resort of Ischgl is looming, according to Bloomberg. Could similar legal action spread to Swiss resorts?

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Switzerland’s latest easing of Covid measures allows large political protests, provided masks worn

2020-06-28

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2020-06-28

On 19 June 2020, Switzerland’s extraordinary state in relation to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic ended. This was accompanied by further easing of restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of the virus. Hand washing, maintaining social distance and mask wearing are the three golden rules that remain, according to Swiss president Simonetta Sommaruga.

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SwissCovid app now available for download

2020-06-28

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2020-06-28

On 25 June 2020, Switzerland’s contact tracing app, known as SwissCovid, became available for download. Created by a group of specialists at EPFL led by Marcel Salathé, a professor of digital epidemiology, the app allows chains of infection to be traced by informing people if they have been in contact with anyone infected. Countries, like South Korea, that have done a good job of this have been able to quickly isolate infected people and halt the...

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Coronavirus: Swiss authorities not open enough in early weeks, says medical expert

2020-06-22

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2020-06-22

The Swiss authorities should have been more open about what they did and didn’t know about the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the early stages, according to Bertrand Kiefer, doctor, ethicist and editor of the Swiss Medical Review.

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Coronavirus: cheap drug substantially cuts severe case death risk, according to large UK trial

2020-06-21

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2020-06-21

A trial at Oxford University suggests an existing low cost drug can cut the risk of death from Covid-19 substantially. Tests involving 6,000 hospitalised Covid-19 patients suggest the drug can cut the risk of death for those on ventilators from 40% to 28%. For patients needing oxygen the risk of death could be cut from 25% to 20%.

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Coronavirus: the rising number of mild cases with symptoms lasting months

2020-06-20

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2020-06-20

Those with mild Covid-19 symptoms are supposed to recover after two weeks. However, a rising number of relatively young people with mild cases report symptoms months later. Johns Hopkins Medicine says that those with mild cases of COVID-19 appear to recover within one to two weeks. For severe cases, recovery may take six weeks or more.

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Coronavirus: national lockdown not part of Switzerland’s second wave response plan

2020-06-19

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2020-06-19

Switzerland’s federal government is against imposing nationwide restrictions to slow the spread of a second wave on infections, according to the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper. The federal government plan, which is under development, is more regional than the response to the first wave of infections and focuses decision making power at the cantonal level, reported the newspaper.

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Coronavirus: latest antibody study suggests 10.8 percent of Geneva infected in first wave

2020-06-18

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2020-06-18

A recently published update to the ongoing study in Geneva to assess the extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection suggests 10.8% of the population may have been infected in the first wave of infections. The study, which tests a sample of the population over time for IgG SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, started in early April 2020. The latest figures come from the fifth week of testing, which was concluded on 9 May 2020. 

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Coronavirus: WHO changes advice on masks

2020-06-10

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2020-06-10

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently changed its advice on face masks. It now recommends healthy people wear them in public when social distancing is not possible, stating that they could provide a barrier for potentially infectious droplets.

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Coronavirus: Switzerland to reopen borders with EU, EFTA and UK on 15 June

2020-06-09

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2020-06-09

Switzerland recently announced that it will lift existing entry restrictions with all EU and EFTA nations and the UK on 15 June 2020. In mid-May the Swiss government announced plans to fully reopen borders with France, Germany and Austria. On 2 June 2020, it decided to hold off on a full reopening of borders with Italy despite Italy’s decision to fully reopen its borders with Switzerland on 3 June 2020.

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