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Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday

Helena Bachmann
Helena Bachmann - [email protected]
Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Large hail stones are not unusual in summer. Image by JWahl from Pixabay

Injured Ukrainians to be treated n Swiss hospitals, weather report, and other news in our roundup on Thursday.

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Switzerland will take in wounded Ukrainian civilians after all

After announcing on Tuesday it would not treat injured Ukrainian soldiers and civilians because such a move would be against the principle of neutrality, Swiss government now agreed to take in wounded civilians, including 155 sick children.

This change-about happened after the Ukrainian embassy in Switzerland expressly asked the government to soften its stance.

“We are talking about civilians, children, women and the elderly," said Ambassador to Switzerland Artem Rybchenko.

READ MORE: Why Switzerland refuses to take in injured Ukrainian soldiers 

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Thunderstorms cause heavy rain and hail

After the peak of the heat wave, several thunderstorms erupted over Switzerland on Wednesday.

Aside from heavy rain and strong gusts, some regions were hit — literally — by hail stones the size of ping pong balls.

A violent thunderstorm also caused a lot of damage in Basel, with the Bernese Oberland, Jura and Swiss-French cantons also affected.

The weather forecast now calls for the continuation  of very hot weather, which is expected to continue to impact the environment and infrastructure.

READ MORE: Body stress, drought and borders: How the heatwave affects Switzerland
 

Switzerland buys anti-Covid medication

While at the beginning of the pandemic treatments for coronavirus were non-existent, more medications became available as our state of knowledge about the disease grew.

This week the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has concluded a contract with AstraZeneca Switzerland for the acquisition of approximately 1,200 doses of tixagevimab/cilgavimab, a drug intended for the prevention and treatment of Covid, primarily by protecting people with weakened immune systems from a severe course of the disease.

Recent studies show that this drug, initially used only as a preventive measure, is also effective in treating people who have already contracted the disease.

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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