“We now collect bed numbers daily. In the intensive care units, the number of free beds is now collected twice a day,” Andreas Stettbacher, the government delegate for the Coordinated Medical Service, told a press conference in Bern on Tuesday.
“I don’t have good news. Unless we take action, ICU beds will be fully occupied in 15 days.”
The figures would be published twice a week, he said.
At the same press conference, the head of the federal Covid-19 taskforce repeatedly stressed the gravity of the situation. Many cantons had taken effective measures, but the public was not behaving appropriately. “Stay at home whenever possible,” Martin Ackermann urged.
People are not restricting their mobility as they did in mid-March, he said. The mobility level is currently much higher than at the peak of the first coronavirus wave.
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‘Superspreader wedding’ shocks Swiss authorities
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The bride and groom at a Swiss wedding reportedly knew that some guests had symptoms of Covid-19 but did not inform the authorities.
“We have no time to lose,” Ackermann said. “There are no alternatives to drastic measures. The hospitals are already at their limits. If the trend continues, it will no longer be possible to treat everyone who need medical help.”
The taskforce therefore assumes that the government will decide on further measures on Wednesday. A lockdown must also be an option, Ackermann said.
Coronavirus infections in Switzerland rose by 5,949 on Tuesday, according to data from health authorities.
Total confirmed cases in Switzerland and neighbouring Liechtenstein increased to 127,042 and the death toll rose by 16 to 1,930.
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Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
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An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
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Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled.
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
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The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
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The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
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None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
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Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
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It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
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The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Intensive care staff exhausted as Covid numbers rise
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Intensive care workers are going into the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic exhausted, the Swiss Society of Intensive Care Medicine has warned.
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