Experts say Covid situation remains ‘tense’

More than half of the Covid patients in Swiss hospitals are under 53 and nine out of ten patients are not vaccinated according to health officials. Keystone/Peter Klaunzer

Health officials have warned of overcapacities in Swiss hospitals amid an increasing number of patients with Covid-19.

The number of new infections and hospitalisations due to Covid has stabilised according to Virginie Masserey of the Federal Office of Public HealthExternal link.

“The situation remains tense and very uncertain,” she told a news conference on Tuesday.

Masserey said it was difficult to foresee the course of the latest wave of infection in Switzerland.

She said it was not enough to rely on the latest figures about infections and hospitalisations or deaths. “The dynamics and the development of the figures play an important role.”

She downplayed the importance of reintroducing new quarantine measures for people returning to Switzerland from summer holidays abroad.

Vaccinations, testing and information about the health situation in the holiday destination were at least equally important, she explained.

Vaccinations

In a similar vein, Linda Nartey, a senior representative for the medical practitioners in the 26 cantons, warned to keep up health precautions.

“The rate of new infections seems to have leveled out at the moment,” she said, “but experience shows that the number of infections will rise again in autumn.”

Both Masserey and Nartey reiterated an appeal for people to get vaccinated against Covid, saying about half of all hospital admissions could be avoided.

The health office on Tuesday reported 79 hospital admissions due to Covid over the past 24 hours, amid a weekly average of about 60 hospitalisations.

Just under 52% of the Swiss population are fully vaccinated and 58% have had one dose of an anti-Covid vaccine, according to official figures.

On Wednesday, the Swiss government is due to announce precautionary plans to contain the spread of the virus, including an extended use of the Covid certificate.