Swiss hospitals to take French coronavirus patients
Three Swiss hospitals have agreed to provide intensive care treatment for six seriously ill coronavirus patients from the neighbouring Alsace region of France. However, experts fear that Switzerland’s health infrastructure will soon be stretched by the rising number of pandemic victims.
Two hospitals in Basel and one in Jura, in northwestern Switzerland, said they would each take two French patients after the Alsace authorities sent out a distress call for help. The French region has been particularly badly hit following contagion among a large church service last month.
Hospitals in Germany are also providing help along with the Swiss hospitals that say they are providing help in the spirit of solidarity and international cooperation.
The number of daily new coronavirus cases in Switzerland breached the 1,000 mark on Saturday and is expected to keep rising for at least a week. The number of deaths rose to more than 50 at the weekend. Healthcare workers predict serious pressure on intensive care units around the country.
While the number of beds and equipment, including ventilators, can be increased, care of seriously ill patients will be constrained by a finite supply of specially trained medical staff. It takes two years to train up each intensive care professional.
Hospital staff are also at high risk of catching the virus themselves. This has been highlighted by the positive test for Thierry Fumeaux, head of the intensive care unit in Nyon and president of the Swiss Association of Intensive Care Medicine.
“Hospitals are concerned that they will not have enough staff or resources to cope if the number of infected patients continues to rise in the coming weeks,” he told the SonntagsZeitung newspaperExternal link.
The strain on health facilities is most severe in canton Ticino bordering Italy and in some parts of French-speaking Switzerland. Other regions of Switzerland still have more capacity to take intensive care patients. Fumeaux said he was confident that the federal authorities would respond to the difficulties.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Watches belonging to Michael Schumacher up for auction
This content was published on
Schumacher's family is auctioning off eight rare watches from his collection in Geneva. The Christie's auction will take place on Monday.
Joya Marleen and Baschi named best solo acts at Swiss Music Awards
This content was published on
St. Gallen singer Joya Marleen and Baschi from Basel were named artists of the year at the Swiss Music Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss infection rate will take a week to slow
This content was published on
The government has banned gatherings of more than five people, warning that CHF100 fines will be handed out to violators. Daniel Koch, head of communicable diseases at the Federal Office of Public Health, said it would take several days for the new restrictions to slow infection rates. “I am confident that we will probably see…
Shortage of hospital beds in Ticino as virus toll rises
This content was published on
The Swiss health authorities have raised alarm over the limited care facilities in one of its regions hardest hit by the coronavirus epidemic.
Swiss President sends solidarity message to population
This content was published on
Sommaruga acknowledged that people’s lives have been restricted by a series of extraordinary measures enforced by the government in recent weeks under the powers of the Epidemics Acts. These include a ban on gatherings of more than five people (including CHF100 fines for those who do not abide by the rule) and the shut down…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.