Today in Switzerland: A round-up of the latest news on Monday
Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
No more entry tests: travel to Switzerland gets easier
Since Saturday, travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid and those who have recovered from the illness no longer need to show test results to enter Switzerland from abroad.
Only people who are neither vaccinated nor cured must still present a negative test on arrival. The PCR test must be done within the last 72 hours and the rapid antigen test within the last 24 hours.
However, the former requirement of a second test after four to seven days after arrival has been dropped previously due to limited testing capabilities in Switzerland. The obligation to confirm a positive result by taking a repeat PCR test has also been eliminated.
READ MORE: Switzerland drops PCR tests for confirming positive rapid antigen tests
There are almost no Omicron patients in intensive care units
A survey conducted by Blick newspaper among hospitals found that virtually all patients admitted to Swiss healthcare facilities have contracted the Delta variant which, though less prevalent than Omicron, is still spreading in Switzerland among the unvaccinated.
At Geneva’s University Hospitals (HUG), only two out of 19 Covid patients have Omicron. And the chief physician of the University Hospital of Zurich said that "there are hardly any traces of Omicron in the intensive care unit". In Zurich’s two other hospitals, Tremli and Stadspital Waid, none of the seven Covid cases has Omicron.
As for Bern’s Inselspital, “a significant proportion of intensive care patients have been affected by the Delta variant”, spokesperson told Blick.
This provides evidence to support the health officials' contention that Omicron is not as virulent as Delta.
READ MORE: Reasonably optimistic’: Are Switzerland’s Covid hotspots cooling down at last?
Health officials: Covid certificate and other measures could end soon
In an interview with Swiss media on Sunday, Health Minister Alain Berset said that the need for the Covid certificate “seems to be approaching its end”.
While he didn’t specify when the requirement would be abolished, other health experts are also seeing a significant easing of current measures.
After the Omicron wave calms down, generalised measures such as certificates and masks will no longer be necessary from the summer "if we continue to get vaccinated and get booster shots as well", according to epidemiologist Marcel Tanner.
While the virus will not be eradicated completely and there will always be coronavirus outbreaks, “it will be possible to stem them with specific and targeted measures. All epidemics have shown this so far", he added.
READ MORE: Should Switzerland abolish the Covid certificate?
Study: most self-tests are not reliable
Covid home tests that are sold in pharmacies in Switzerland only work reliably with very high viral loads, a new study found.
According to this information, many tests available in Switzerland and authorised by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) don’t show accurate results when the viral load goes from “low” to “high”. Only a “very high” load could be detected.
Home testing kits like this one are rarely reliable, study found. Photo: Ben STANSALL / AFP
This means that tests conducted at the beginning of an infection, or in case of asymptomatic infection, would likely show a negative result.
This study adds evidence to another recent research which suggested that even antigen tests conducted by professionals sometimes fail to detect Omicron infections.
READ MORE: Switzerland: Do antigen tests detect Omicron?
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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No more entry tests: travel to Switzerland gets easier
Since Saturday, travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid and those who have recovered from the illness no longer need to show test results to enter Switzerland from abroad.
Only people who are neither vaccinated nor cured must still present a negative test on arrival. The PCR test must be done within the last 72 hours and the rapid antigen test within the last 24 hours.
However, the former requirement of a second test after four to seven days after arrival has been dropped previously due to limited testing capabilities in Switzerland. The obligation to confirm a positive result by taking a repeat PCR test has also been eliminated.
READ MORE: Switzerland drops PCR tests for confirming positive rapid antigen tests
There are almost no Omicron patients in intensive care units
A survey conducted by Blick newspaper among hospitals found that virtually all patients admitted to Swiss healthcare facilities have contracted the Delta variant which, though less prevalent than Omicron, is still spreading in Switzerland among the unvaccinated.
At Geneva’s University Hospitals (HUG), only two out of 19 Covid patients have Omicron. And the chief physician of the University Hospital of Zurich said that "there are hardly any traces of Omicron in the intensive care unit". In Zurich’s two other hospitals, Tremli and Stadspital Waid, none of the seven Covid cases has Omicron.
As for Bern’s Inselspital, “a significant proportion of intensive care patients have been affected by the Delta variant”, spokesperson told Blick.
This provides evidence to support the health officials' contention that Omicron is not as virulent as Delta.
READ MORE: Reasonably optimistic’: Are Switzerland’s Covid hotspots cooling down at last?
Health officials: Covid certificate and other measures could end soon
In an interview with Swiss media on Sunday, Health Minister Alain Berset said that the need for the Covid certificate “seems to be approaching its end”.
While he didn’t specify when the requirement would be abolished, other health experts are also seeing a significant easing of current measures.
After the Omicron wave calms down, generalised measures such as certificates and masks will no longer be necessary from the summer "if we continue to get vaccinated and get booster shots as well", according to epidemiologist Marcel Tanner.
While the virus will not be eradicated completely and there will always be coronavirus outbreaks, “it will be possible to stem them with specific and targeted measures. All epidemics have shown this so far", he added.
READ MORE: Should Switzerland abolish the Covid certificate?
Study: most self-tests are not reliable
Covid home tests that are sold in pharmacies in Switzerland only work reliably with very high viral loads, a new study found.
According to this information, many tests available in Switzerland and authorised by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) don’t show accurate results when the viral load goes from “low” to “high”. Only a “very high” load could be detected.
Home testing kits like this one are rarely reliable, study found. Photo: Ben STANSALL / AFP
This means that tests conducted at the beginning of an infection, or in case of asymptomatic infection, would likely show a negative result.
This study adds evidence to another recent research which suggested that even antigen tests conducted by professionals sometimes fail to detect Omicron infections.
READ MORE: Switzerland: Do antigen tests detect Omicron?
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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