Swiss health officials remain upbeat about ‘favourable’ Covid trends
Top health officials are optimistic about the steadily improving Covid-19 situation in Switzerland. With case numbers dropping and vaccinations growing, next week should see the launch of the Covid certificate.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
A day after the latest set of easings came into effect, with restaurants and cafes now open indoor and outdoor and with more people able to gather in public, Virginie Masserey of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) said on Tuesday that the situation remained favourable.
Daily new cases are still down (today 756), as are deaths (today six) and hospitalisations (15% of intensive care beds currently occupied by Covid patients).
According to the government’s scientific advisory taskforce, these trends are also backed up by analyses of wastewater in six places around the country.
However, with the current easing of restrictions, as well as those planned for later in the summer during the country’s “stabilisation” phase, Masserey also called for caution, saying the pandemic was “far from over”.
More
More
Swiss Covid vaccination rate takes off
This content was published on
At the start of the year, the Swiss authorities were criticised for dragging their heels on vaccinations despite having ambitious targets. Drugs regulator Swissmedic took longer than many countries to approve new vaccines and when they arrived there were large discrepancies between the ability of cantons to administer doses at speed. But this week, Switzerland…
The FOPH official also commented on the vaccination rate, which has accelerated in recent weeks, with some 80,000 jabs being administered daily. As of Tuesday, 1.75 million Swiss residents had received two jabs, or 20.2% of the population.
As for the vaccination of younger groups, Masserey said that for children from the age of 12, this could be done by the end of 2021 – once the practice is given the go-ahead by regulator Swissmedic.
But vaccinations of even younger children, between six and 12, are unlikely to happen before the end of this year or the beginning of 2022, Masserey added.
More
More
Newsletters
Sign up for our free newsletters and get the top stories delivered to your inbox.
The next step in the plan to get out of the pandemic is the Covid certificate: an electronic pass to be given to each resident in Switzerland, which will state if they are vaccinated, recently tested, or recently recovered from Covid – the goal being to facilitate travel and other activities like big concerts or events.
According to a government announcement, the first certificates will be released and tested next Monday June 7, with the system put in place for everybody by the end of the month.
To help iron out bugs during this rollout period, the government have thus opened the source code of the digital certificate to a public security test. As of Monday May 31, the National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) has been collecting corresponding test results with the aim of evaluating them, and carrying out adjustments for the final version of the certificate.
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
New European space tech centre in Switzerland launches its first project
This content was published on
The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), launched in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), is to be located in the immediate vicinity of the PSI in northern Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Railways launches campaign for safety on public transport
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways is launching a campaign for greater respect and safety on public transport, with posters to go up in stations and on trains starting next week.
Swiss scientists to use AI for improved weather and climate forecasts
This content was published on
MeteoSwiss and the Swiss Data Science Center have signed a four-year agreement to make greater use of AI in meteorology and climatology going forward.
This content was published on
Prices of owner-occupied homes rose in the third quarter of 2024 by 0.5%, with inflation affecting both apartments and single-family houses, says the Federal Statistical Office.
This content was published on
The honey harvest is projected to be lower than usual this year, as Swiss beekeepers report harvesting an average of just 16kg of honey per bee colony.
More young refugees in Switzerland following vocational training
This content was published on
More than half of young refugees and temporarily admitted persons between the ages of 16 and 25 are now in training. This is significantly more than five years ago.
One in five Swiss children suffers psychological abuse at home
This content was published on
In Switzerland, one in five children suffers psychological violence, and one in three has witnessed psychological violence between parents, says the association Kinderschutz Schweiz.
Swiss government minister breaks silence over Trump remarks controversy
This content was published on
Transport Minister Albert Rösti explained himself in a television interview on Sunday evening, after being called out for expressing support for Donald Trump.
Swiss Covid expert calls for caution on vaccination recommendations
This content was published on
The head of the vaccination commission would be “even more cautious today” when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination recommendations.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Covid-19: ‘No one will be safe until everyone is safe’
This content was published on
Swiss Solidarity, the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), has launched a new appeal to help those most in need.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.