More variant Covid-19 carriers detected in Switzerland
The roll out of vaccines in Switzerland is taking place slowly but steadily.
(c) Dpa-zentralbild
Some 28 people in seven Swiss cantons have tested positive for mutated strains of the Covid-19 virus. This is not enough to recommend tightened measures against the pandemic, but experts are concerned that a minority of cases have had no contact with British people.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Español
es
Detectan a más portadores de mutaciones de COVID-19 en Suiza
Members of the Swiss Covid-19 taskforce said on Tuesday that they are closely monitoring the situation with the help of universities. Cantons have also been stepping up their contact tracing efforts to keep abreast of the variant strain’s spread.
The general spread of the virus stabilised over the Christmas period, but its numbers are only falling gradually. On Tuesday some 4,020 new cases were reported from the previous 24 hours, with 98 deaths.
Swiss government ministers are due to give an update on partial lockdown measures on Wednesday, but the taskforce is not recommending the closure of schools at present. Variant Covid-19 strains were first detected in Switzerland last month, having arrived from Britain and South Africa.
The mutated form of the virus is not believed to be more deadly than previous strains but is more prone to spread among people. “Since the rate of virus activity is still far too high in Switzerland, we must try to delay the spread of these mutants until broad vaccination is possible,” said Rudolf Hauri, president of the Association of Cantonal Doctors.
Some 233,000 doses of the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine have already been delivered to Switzerland, a number that is expected to rise to 500,000 doses by the end of this month and a million in February. Some cantons began vaccinating last month, with a nationwide programme starting this week.
Hauri called for patience as the vaccines require specialised storage, handling and injection method. The plan is to vaccinate everyone in Switzerland who wants to have the jab by early summer.
Covid-19 vaccine: Why we still have a long wait ahead
This content was published on
Countries have started rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine, but it will likely take years to manufacture doses at the scale needed to reach the masses.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Prevention and tech could help save billions on Swiss healthcare costs, says Deloitte
This content was published on
By focusing on prevention and technology, it would be possible to reduce Switzerland's healthcare bill by CHF30 billion a year by 2040, according to Deloitte Switzerland.
Environment director warns of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland
This content was published on
The director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has warned of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland in an interview with SonntagsBlick on Sunday.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
This content was published on
The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
‘We were too lax’ admits Swiss interior minister on Covid-19
This content was published on
In an interview with Swiss public television, SRF, Interior Minister Alain Berset has acknowledged that Switzerland made mistakes.
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.