Geneva is experiencing a spike in Covid-19 hospitalisations

A medical worker treats a patient with Covid-19 in the intensive care unit at Geneva University Hospital (HUG) in April 9, 2020. Keystone / Martial Trezzini

The worsening Covid-19 situation in canton Geneva is extremely worrying, according to the cantonal doctor Aglaé Tardin. There are currently 50 patients being treated for the virus at Geneva University Hospital (HUG).

“There is a major issue concerning private parties, family reunions and drinks with friends,” Tardin told reporters in Geneva on Thursday. “Each time we must always ask ourselves if it is possible to organise these things with fewer people and keeping our distance.”

Tardin said it was urgent to act immediately, otherwise, “choices will have to be made as to whether or not to we can look after sick people”.

Geneva recorded 133 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday and 78 on Wednesday. The number of hospitalisations has jumped to 50 patients at the HUG, or two-thirds of its current capacity for coronavirus patients. Six were in intensive care on Thursday.

Tardin said she was concerned by the rising number of cases and increase in the number of older patients. She fears that the number of deaths, which stands at 314 since the start of the pandemic, will soon increase in Geneva.

Record daily infections

The number of new coronavirus cases continues to rise steadily in Switzerland. On Friday, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) said 1,487 new cases had been recorded over the previous 24 hours, 300 more than the previous day. This represents a daily record: new daily cases peaked at 1,456 on March 23.

The average case count stood at 97 per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks, while the test positivity rate over the same period was 6.5%.

New infections have been reported across the country, with the exception of cantons Appenzell Outer-Rhodes and Obwalden, in eastern Switzerland. Over half of all new infections (53%) have occurred in cantons Geneva, Vaud and Zurich.

The average case count for canton Geneva stands at 85 per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks and 77 for Vaud.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 1,794 reported deaths and 5,001 hospitalisations in the Alpine nation. In total, 60,368 cases of infection have been confirmed out of 1.4 million tests carried out in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.