Advertisement

Deaths in Switzerland's nursing homes account for more than half coronavirus death toll

The Local
The Local - [email protected]
Deaths in Switzerland's nursing homes account for more than half coronavirus death toll

The coronavirus has taken a particularly heavy toll on older people in Switzerland, with more than half of those dead from the virus being residents of nursing homes.

Advertisement

Research by the Tages-Anzieger newspaper shows that a total of 53 percent of the country’s 1891 deaths have come out of nursing homes.

The figure is even higher in some cantons. In Zurich, 81 of the total 127 deaths were nursing home residents - 64 percent. 

What we know about the victims of the coronavirus pandemic in Switzerland 

The researchers note that the actual figures area likely to be even higher as only three cantons provide data on where a person was living at their time of death.

Advertisement

This means that anyone who was transferred to a hospital would not be counted in official figures, compared to people who died actually in a nursing home. 

Coronavirus in Switzerland: Half of Ticino fatalities come from nursing homes 

The number of deaths in nursing homes is roughly similar to that in Sweden, where the country has put in place only comparatively minimal lockdown rules. 

Coronavirus: What went wrong in Sweden's care homes?

The figures from the study come from just 18 of the country’s 26 cantons, however these account for 94 percent of Switzerland’s total coronavirus deaths. 

 

 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also