Tag Archives: Editor’s Choice

© Martinmark | Dreamstime.com On Sunday 25 October 2020, Geneva’s HUG hospital issued a call for volunteers as the number of Covid-19 patients rises rapidly. The hospital seeks medical, care and administrative volunteers to bolster and relieve their staff. In addition, they seek those who might have recently retired or who are on leave. Bertrand Levrat, the hospital’s chief, said that it’s highly likely that the hospital’s peak number of 550 Covid-19 patients reached...

© Axel Bueckert | Dreamstime.com Today, Germany announced it had added Switzerland to its list of Covid-19 risk countries, effective from 24 October 2020. Until now only certain Swiss cantons were on Germany’s list. The Robert Koch Institut, Germany’s health authority, advises German residents against non-essential travel to Switzerland. Other new additions to Germany’s list include Liechtenstein, Ireland, Poland, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar and much...

Land use is strictly governed in Switzerland. However, a new initiative, which aims to increase construction restrictions further, recently gathered enough signatures to qualify for a a popular vote. © Dnaveh | Dreamstime.comThe initiative, dubbed the countryside initiative, was officially registered after gathering 104,487 valid signatures, more than the 100,000 that must be collected within 100 days to qualify for a referendum. The federal law on land management (LAT/RPG), an earlier...

© Anyaivanova | Dreamstime.com There is an idea circulating that many of the positive PCR tests results for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Switzerland are false, results which are known as false positives. However, according to experts interviewed by RTS, PCR test false positives are rare. A number of political figures, including some Swiss parliamentarians, have been referring to large numbers of false positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results. While some infected with the...

© Martinmark | Dreamstime.com On 21 October 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 5,596, new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection over 24 hours. The highest daily reported figure during spring was 1,293. A significant increase in testing means infection figures reported over spring are not comparable to today’s numbers. However, the difference in test positivity is narrowing. During the peak in March 2020 around 25% of tests were positive. Over...

Hai Huy Ton That | Dreamstime.com In Geneva, the number hospitalised with Covid-19 has reached 134, the highest it has been since the first wave in spring. On Friday 16 October 2020, there were 94 patients. This represents a jump of 43% in 3 days. Across Switzerland, the picture is similar. On Friday there were 582 Covid-19 patients hospitalised. By Monday, this number had risen to 751, according to data published by RTS, a jump of 29%. The current trend in...

© thanakorn hormniam _ Dreamstime.com SARS-CoV-2 tests that give results in 15 minutes scored well on sensitivity, according to a study by Unisanté in Lausanne, Switzerland. The tests, which involve taking a sample of nasal secretions from the back of the nose and throat, test for a protein present in the virus. The main PCR test used currently looks for genetic material specific to the virus, a more complicated laboratory-based process that can take around a day....

© Patrik Slezák | Dreamstime.com On 16 October 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 3,105 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection over 24 hours, bringing the reported weekly total to 14,054, a figure 135% higher than the week before. Swiss hospitals are admitting more Covid-19 patients. An additional 68 were admitted over the last 24 hours, according to FOPH. There are currently 515 Covid-19 patients in hospitals across Switzerland, according...

© David Moreno | Dreamstime.com On 18 October 2020, after an extraordinary meeting, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced masks would become mandatory across all of Switzerland. In addition, certain gatherings of more than 15 people are to be banned and employers are required to follow recommendations for staff to work from home. Since 19 June 2020, the governments of Switzerland’s cantons have played the lead role in combating the COVID-19 epidemic. Today, the...

Surgical masks © Belish | Dreamstime.com Only 4 out of the 16 masks sold in Switzerland that were tested passed all three tests conducted by a textile testing company, according to RTS. The testing, which included tests for air permeability, splash resistance and filtration, was conducted in laboratories run by Testex in Zurich and Vienna at the behest of RTS. Testing followed the standards recommended by the Swiss National Covid-19 Science Taskforce. There are...