Tag Archive: Editor’s Choice

Health expert recommends Covid certificates for Swiss ski lifts

2021-09-18

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2021-09-18

Lukas Engelberger, head of the association of cantonal health directors, has recommended making Covid certificates compulsory for riding on Swiss ski lifts, reported Le Nouvelliste.

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Number of vacant homes in Switzerland drops for first time in 12 years

2021-09-18

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2021-09-18

Finding a place to live in Switzerland is difficult. Home availability is low and prices are high. On 13 September 2021, the Federal Statistical Office published data showing a sharp drop in the number of vacant homes since 2020, a development that will make home hunting harder.

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Swiss government extends use of Covid certificates from Monday

2021-09-09

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2021-09-09

On 8 September 2012, the Swiss government decided to extends the use of Covid certificates. From Monday 13 September 2021, a certificate will be required to enter bars, restaurants, museums, cinemas, theatres and pools, a system already operating in numerous countries, such as Italy.

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Sharp jump in Swiss Covid-19 intensive care patients

2021-08-20

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2021-08-20

The latest figures on Covid-19 patients in intensive care in Swiss hospitals show a steep rise in numbers.

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Covid: second vaccine approved for use on 12 to 17 year olds in Switzerland

2021-08-13

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2021-08-13

Swissmedic, Switzerland’s drug approval agency, extended approval of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for use on 12 to 17 year olds this week.

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Unvaccinated 80 times more likely to catch Covid-19, finds Swiss study

2021-08-08

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2021-08-08

Recent analysis of data done in the Swiss canton of Vaud found rate of Covid-19 was 83 times higher among the unvaccinated than those who had received two shots of vaccine, reported RTS.

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Zurich airport: 5 percent to 10 percent of passengers not boarding due to Covid document issues

2021-08-07

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2021-08-07

During July 2021, around 5% to 10% of long-haul passengers, many in transit, were unable to depart from Zurich airport because their Covid-19 documents did not comply with destination country regulations, reported the newspaper Le Temps.

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Swiss heirs must repay 15 years of illegally claimed welfare

2021-08-06

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2021-08-06

In 2016, the social security office in Zurich discovered a concealed bank account containing CHF 1 million belonging to a deceased man who had received welfare payments for 13 years, reported RTS.

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Swiss flood damage could cost half a billion francs

2021-07-25

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2021-07-25

Switzerland’s four largest buildings insurers estimate the costs of recent weather events could reach half a billion francs across Switzerland, reported RTS. According to Grégoire Deiss, who works for the cantonal buildings insurer ECAB in Fribourg, the cost of recent storms and flooding could be around CHF 500 million across all of Switzerland, a figure he based on claims that have been made so far.

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Some charging for rapid Covid tests that are supposed to be free

2021-07-18

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2021-07-18

According to a report by the newspaper Le Matin, some testing centres in Switzerland are charging for rapid antigen tests despite the federal government announcing it would cover the cost of these tests.

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Covid: 67% of Geneva now has Antibodies

2021-07-16

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2021-07-16

Vaccination has pushed the percentage of residents in Geneva with antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus up to 67%, according to a recent study by Geneva’s HUG hospital. To some extent, Geneva has been at the forefront of Switzerland’s experience with Covid-19. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the canton has recorded Switzerland’s highest rate of infection, 54% above the Swiss average.

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Price comparison site Comparis customer data exposed in ransomware attack

2021-07-16

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2021-07-16

On 9 July 2021, the Swiss price comparison website Comparis revealed that it had been the victim of a ransomeware cyber attack on Wednesday, 7 July 2021. According to Comparis, the attack occurred in the morning. Comparis took down several of its sites as a security measure. The attackers demanded money in exchange for decrypting data.

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Covid: 483 New Cases in 24 hours in Switzerland

2021-07-14

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2021-07-14

On 13 July 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 483 new cases of Covid-19, up from a daily average of 274 over the preceding three days. The rise in cases follows a rising trend in the incidence of the more infectious Delta variant, which now makes up the majority of DNA sequenced samples in Switzerland.

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EU Now Accepts Swiss Covid Certificates

2021-07-11

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2021-07-11

The European Commission has given the Swiss Covid certificate a green light for inclusion on the EU-wide digital Covid certificate platform. This means that holders of Swiss Covid certificates are able to present their Swiss-issued Covid certificate QR codes at ports of entry into EU nations under the same conditions as holders of certificates from EU nations.

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EU recognition of Swiss Covid certificate imminent

2021-07-11

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2021-07-11

According to RTS, Brussels is close to giving the Swiss Covid certificate a green light for inclusion on the EU-wide digital Covid certificate platform. This means that Swiss residents will soon be able to present their Swiss-issued Covid certificate QR codes at ports of entry into EU nations.

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Covid: Swiss Health Minister Concerned by Rest Home Staff Vaccine Refusal

2021-07-08

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2021-07-08

In Switzerland, 20% of people over 80 have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 at a time when the fast spreading Delta variant is gaining ground, said Alain Berset, Switzerland’s health minister, in an interview with the NZZ reported RTS.

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Nearly 40% have Long Covid after 7 months, finds Swiss study

2021-07-07

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2021-07-07

The longer term effects of Covid-19 can take many forms and there are numerous definitions of the disease. A study undertaken by HUG and UNIGE in Geneva, published on 6 July 2021, found that 39% of a group of Covid-19 patients still had symptoms after 7 months.

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Swiss social spending up nearly 60 percent in 20 years

2021-07-06

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2021-07-06

In 1999, social expenditure in Switzerland was CHF 13,370 per resident. By 2019, the same figure had reached CHF 21,300, a rise of nearly 60%. Over the same period, total inflation was around 11%. Applying inflation to CHF 13,370 brings the figure to CHF 14,480. Why has the cost risen beyond this and how has the extra spending been funded?

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Covid: Swiss Government sets out Autumn Scenarios and Measures

2021-07-06

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2021-07-06

On 30 June 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council discussed ways of preparing Switzerland for the autumn and winter months and a possible renewed rise in the number of coronavirus cases. From the meeting ministers produced a report setting out various scenarios and response plans.

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Swiss Meat and Eggs often not very Swiss

2021-07-03

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2021-07-03

Any animal raised and slaughtered in Switzerland can be labelled Swiss. However, what the animal has been fed could be from anywhere. If animals are what they eat then much of the meat and eggs labelled Swiss aren’t very Swiss.

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