The coronavirus pandemic is subsiding, Swiss government experts say. Pregnant women in the second trimester may now get vaccinated against the virus.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/FOPH/ilj
All the important coronavirus indicators are going in the right direction, said Patrick Mathys, head of crisis management at the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), at a press conference on Friday afternoon.
In particular, the number of deaths has fallen. “This is due to vaccination campaign progress,” he said.
As in most of Switzerland’s neighbouring countries, the number of cases, hospitalisations and people in intensive care have also dropped, he added.
The news comes as the country prepares for further easing of coronavirus restrictions from Monday.
Below 1,000 mark
On Friday official figuresExternal link showed 912 confirmed cases, the third day in a row cases have dipped under 1,000. There were 36 hospitalisations and three deaths.
The downwards trend has been confirmed by a parallel study looking at the virus in wastewater, added Mathys.
Government posters have moved from a red background to orange to reflect the change in circumstances, although Mathys still urged the population to behave with caution to not undo the good work so far. “Orange is not the new green,” he remarked, as is also noted on the Tweet below.
External Content
«Die Farbe der Kampagne wechselt von rot auf orange. Orange ist aber noch nicht das neue Grün, d.h. wir müssen wachsam bleiben, damit die Situation auch so bleibt, wie sie im Moment ist.» Patrick Mathys pic.twitter.com/Yy3eCkxLe5External link
In addition, the Federal Vaccination Commission has changed its recommendation for pregnant women – those from the second trimester onwards may now get vaccinated against the coronavirus. However, those wanting to get the jab require a medical consultation first and have to sign a declaration of consent, Mathys explained.
Before that, the commission had only recommended vaccinations for pregnant women in risk groups.
Overall, vaccinations are picking up speed. More than 557,000 doses were given in the period May 20-26, or around 80,000 a day, Friday’s figures showed.
More
More
Swiss to re-open restaurants, ease quarantine rules
This content was published on
The Swiss government has announced further steps to ease Covid-19 restrictions as the average number of new daily infections continues to drop.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
Surveillance programme for new Covid-19 variants approved
This content was published on
The Swiss public health office has approved the establishment of a national genomic surveillance programme for new Covid-19 variants.
UK travellers to Switzerland must go into quarantine
This content was published on
People entering Switzerland from the UK must fill out an electronic entry form, provide a negative Covid test and go into ten-day quarantine.
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.