Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
New developments on the Covid front; flu cases are soaring, and other news from Switzerland in our roundup on Wednesday.
Swiss health expert: “The days of big Covid waves are over”
Switzerland is unlikely to experience a large coronavirus wave this winter, according to Tanja Stadler, former head of the now-dismantled government Covid Task Force.
Unlike the past two winters, the virus no longer spreads as rapidly and infects as many people, Stadler said in an interview on Tuesday.
The same holds true for the Omicron sub-variants; while some people will continue to catch them, no “significant wave is expected.”
Meanwhile…the flu is spreading faster, and earlier, than in previous years
The number of flu cases in Switzerland has exceeded peaks of recent years, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported on Tuesday.
In fact, the influenza virus has supplanted Covid infections.
Flu is currently most widespread in cantons of Basel-Country, Basel-City, Aargau, and Solothurn, according to FOPH.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: The Swiss regions being hit hardest by the flu wave
Spring-like weather forecast for the New Year
Not only did we not have a white Christmas, but it looks like New Year’s Eve will be snowless in Switzerland as well.
As a matter of fact, this December 31st “could be the hottest ever recorded since the start of measurements,” said Roger Perret, meteorologist at MeteoNews weather service.
For instance, 15C to 17C are forecast for Basel, 14C to 15C for Zurich, and 14C to 16C for Geneva.
Temperatures should remain above seasonal norms for the first days of 2023 as well, Perret said.
English is the most common non-national language in Swiss offices
More than 20 percent of people in Switzerland speak English at work — less that those who use German and French, but more than employees who speak Italian (8 percent).
This is the finding of a larger language survey by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published on Tuesday.
However, in what could be either a clever use of English or a bad misspelling, the FSO named the study “The linguage areas in Svizzerland."
READ MORE: Just how good are the Swiss at speaking different languages?
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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Swiss health expert: “The days of big Covid waves are over”
Switzerland is unlikely to experience a large coronavirus wave this winter, according to Tanja Stadler, former head of the now-dismantled government Covid Task Force.
Unlike the past two winters, the virus no longer spreads as rapidly and infects as many people, Stadler said in an interview on Tuesday.
The same holds true for the Omicron sub-variants; while some people will continue to catch them, no “significant wave is expected.”
Meanwhile…the flu is spreading faster, and earlier, than in previous years
The number of flu cases in Switzerland has exceeded peaks of recent years, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported on Tuesday.
In fact, the influenza virus has supplanted Covid infections.
Flu is currently most widespread in cantons of Basel-Country, Basel-City, Aargau, and Solothurn, according to FOPH.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: The Swiss regions being hit hardest by the flu wave
Spring-like weather forecast for the New Year
Not only did we not have a white Christmas, but it looks like New Year’s Eve will be snowless in Switzerland as well.
As a matter of fact, this December 31st “could be the hottest ever recorded since the start of measurements,” said Roger Perret, meteorologist at MeteoNews weather service.
For instance, 15C to 17C are forecast for Basel, 14C to 15C for Zurich, and 14C to 16C for Geneva.
Temperatures should remain above seasonal norms for the first days of 2023 as well, Perret said.
English is the most common non-national language in Swiss offices
More than 20 percent of people in Switzerland speak English at work — less that those who use German and French, but more than employees who speak Italian (8 percent).
This is the finding of a larger language survey by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published on Tuesday.
However, in what could be either a clever use of English or a bad misspelling, the FSO named the study “The linguage areas in Svizzerland."
READ MORE: Just how good are the Swiss at speaking different languages?
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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