Swiss feel sicker than during pandemic

A growing number of people feel that the impact of Long Covid has been underestimated. Keystone / Friso Gentsch

More Swiss people are feeling unwell this year than during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, a national survey suggests.

Some 35% of respondents reported being under the weather in June compared to 27% last year and 25% in 2020.

The sentiment has been blamed on the pandemic making people more conscious about their health and for lowering psychological well-being.

More than half of the respondents felt coronavirus is still an ongoing health risk and 44% believe that the effects of Long Covid are underestimated.

“The pandemic has evolved from an acute and visible event into a chronic and insidious burden on public health,” says the report.

But other factors are also at play in determining people’s evaluation of their current health.

Occupational stress is named as the number one health burden, whilst young adults also name diminishing prospects or a lack of appreciation as placing their health or mental state under stress.

The survey of 2,136 people was carried out between June 14 and 26 this year by the Sotomo research institute on behalf of the CSS health insurance company.