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The scientific working group recommends stricter regulations against the corona pandemic. The Federal Council is awaiting the next assessment of the situation and is focusing on aid money for the economy.
Restaurants close like March in Chur? This is what the federal scientific working group suggests. The Federal Council, however, doubts.
Photo: Gian Ehrenzeller (Keystone)
Close restaurants and leisure facilities, limit private gatherings to two households: This is what the Covid Scientific Working Group is asking for in his most recent article. Waiting means increasing the risks to the physical and mental health of the population, as well as to the economy and society.
However, the Federal Council accepts these risks: It is not preparing any tightening of the measures for its meeting on Wednesday, as can be learned from a reliable source. The aid package for the economy should be at the center of Corona’s decisions. The Federal Council wants to increase this figure from a total of 400 million Swiss francs to a new trillion Swiss francs. The federal government should take care of two-thirds instead of half, the rest should be contributed by the individual cantons.
New evaluation of the measures at the end of the week
The postponement of the closure decision is justified in Bern by the fact that the Federal Council is awaiting a new assessment of the situation by the working group, which should be available by the end of the week. Then it will be easier to estimate how the measures of October 28 have worked. Its influence is delayed because after a Covid infection it can take 10 days for symptoms to appear and another three weeks for hospitalization.
The number of new infections reported by the Federal Office of Public Health is currently declining and the spread of the coronavirus has also slowed. On Tuesday, the BAG put the new cases at 4560, significantly less than on Friday when 6739 were registered. However, BAG is cautious. “We are cautiously optimistic that things will get better,” Virginie Masserey, head of the infection control section, said Tuesday. But the numbers would have to go even lower.
Epidemiologist Christian Althaus is also pushing for them to toughen up more:
Normal intensive care beds are full
In hospitals, the situation will worsen for the moment because of the delay, as Andreas Stettbacher of the coordinated army medical service said. Are current all 900 regular intensive care beds are fully occupied. However, non-certified reserve beds are still available, which could be increased to a total of 1,400 beds. This would mean that there would be no electoral intervention. In addition, Rega’s air rescue organizes up to six transfers a day from crowded hospitals to less busy ones.
There are still great uncertainties about the interpretation of the situation. The proportion of positive tests remains unchanged at around 25 percent, and many infections go unrecorded. Furthermore, the number of tests is decreasing, for which BAG does not have a conclusive explanation. “The situation is still very fragile,” Masserey summarized. When asked if the BAG considered more restrictions on public life necessary, he responded evasively: “The decision on this depends on the politicians.”
Rapid tests are coming to schools
The FOPH is preparing other measures to better control the virus. Rapid tests, for example, of which 50,000 are available per day, are not used enough. It takes some time for the processes in all medical practices and pharmacies to become well established. The FOPH now wants to force this: rapid tests are meant to quickly clear up anyone who is infected, for example in schools. “We are thinking about the best way to use rapid tests in schools,” Masserey said.
The BAG is also interested in massive testing. Slovakia had around 5.5 million inhabitants assessed at the end of October. Austria is checking that all interested parties can take a test run before Christmas. This could also be discussed in Switzerland, Masserey said, but limited: current rapid tests only recognize infected people without symptoms to some extent.
The federal government acquires special cooling devices for vaccines
A major vaccination campaign is also in the works after advertisements from two manufacturers Pfizer / Biontech and Moderna suggested that vaccines are within reach (read on: What is known about the two vaccines). BAG spokeswoman Masha Maria Foursova says: “Preparations for storage and transportation capacities in the federal government and the cantons are currently underway.” The Pfizer / Biontech vaccine, for example, must be transported and stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius. According to Andreas Stettbacher of the Coordinated Medical Service, the federal government has purchased cooling devices for this.
It is not yet clear where the vaccinations will take place. “This depends on the vaccine, its properties and the vaccination recommendations,” says Foursova. That is why the federal government and the cantons are preparing for several variants: hospitals, pharmacies, doctors’ offices, vaccination centers and, if necessary, mobile teams. It is not clear who should get vaccinated first and who should get vaccinated later. The prioritization has yet to be clarified, confirms Virginie Masserey. This will require more studies on the efficacy and tolerance of vaccines in different age categories.
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