Tag Archives: health

© Anyaivanova | Dreamstime.com Coronavirus testing has been rationed in Switzerland, reserving it for high risk more severe cases, although doctors retain discretion to have anyone tested. It is likely those that have been infected and have recovered will have immunity and no longer be able to act as carriers of the disease. However, without an antibody test, all those who didn’t qualify for a test, will have no way of confirming whether or not they have had it. This...

Medical ventilators constructed at the OES medical supply company in Britain, 23 March 2020. The British government has also asked top engineering companies to retool their production to make ventilators. (Keystone / Neil Hall) Around 50 countries have introduced curbs on exports of medical supplies, including ventilators. This poses a major risk for poor countries, a Swiss study has revealed. The past fortnight has seen nations around the world scrambling for...

© Aquanaut4 | Dreamstime.com Lombardy, the region in northern Italy where the coronavirus outbreak first took off in Europe, now has fewer per capita cases testing positive for the virus than some Swiss cantons. Recent data from Italy show there were 179 cases per 100,000 in Lombardy. In Ticino, Switzerland’s worst affected canton, there were 329 cases per 100,000. Geneva (231) and Vaud (211) had Switzerland’s next highest rates. In percentage terms Ticino (+84%),...

The Swiss healthcare system will be tested over the coming weeks, experts warn. (© Keystone / Gaetan Bally) Three Swiss hospitals have agreed to provide intensive care treatment for six seriously ill coronavirus patients from the neighbouring Alsace region of France. However, experts fear that Switzerland’s health infrastructure will soon be stretched by the rising number of pandemic victims. Two hospitals in Basel and one in Jura, in northwestern Switzerland, said...

© Pongmoji | Dreamstime.com COVID-19 has hit the world fast and we are racing to understand it, while struggling to come to terms with its deadly impact. When trying to estimate the impact, it is tempting to take the current number of deaths and divide it by the number of reported cases. However, the resulting percentage is meaningless. Here’s why: Jumping the gun If we divide the current number of deaths in South Korea with the current number of cases so far we get...

The coronavirus has spread to 173 countries as of March 19. (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) The upheaval caused by the coronavirus, Covid-19, is all around us. And I know many are anxious, worried and confused. That’s absolutely natural. We are facing a health threat unlike any other in our lifetimes. Meanwhile, the virus is spreading, the danger is growing, and our health systems, economies and day-to-day lives are being severely tested....

Efforts are underway to provide additional medical devices and beds in intensive care units in Ticino. (Keystone/Alessandro Crinari) The Swiss health authorities have raised alarm over the limited care facilities in one of its regions hardest hit by the coronavirus epidemic. “The situation in Ticino is dramatic,” said Daniel Koch of the Federal Office of Public Health at a news conference on Thursday. He said it was foreseeable that the hospitals in canton Ticino,...

At a press conference at 5pm on 16 March 2020, members of the Federal Council presented a list of further restrictions designed to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus, that will become active from midnight tonight. A video of the conference can be viewed below. [embedded content]Alain Berset, Switzerland’s interior minister, called on the population to follow the rules. To date a significant number of people have not been following them, he said. Following these...

Ibuprofen belongs to a family of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. On 14 March 2020, Olivier Véran, France’s health minister Tweeted that taking anti-inflammatory medicine “could be an aggravating factor” for those infected with Covid-19, and recommended paracetamol for those with a fever. Link to Twitter postLater, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), said that observations have been made in individual cases, but this is not...

© Ryzhov Sergey | Dreamstime.com One of the biggest challenges during the coronavirus outbreak will be ensuring there are enough qualified staff and equipment to keep the worst affected patients alive. Thierry Fumeaux, head of the Swiss Society of Intensive Medicine, told RTS there are 82 intensive care units (ICU) across Switzerland. These have a combined 850 places, of which 750 are equipped with breathing equipment. It is not clear how many of these places are...