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Record values in Toggenburg: 14-day incidence rises to over 1000 cases
The coronavirus is not more widespread in any constituency of the canton of St. Gallen than in Toggenburg. In the last week of October, it increased to more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 residents in 14 days.
The municipality of Hemberg was more affected in the second wave than in the first. But the small number of inhabitants makes it difficult to draw conclusions.
For a long time, the Toggenburg constituency was a safe haven where the coronavirus did not reach. Not a single case was recorded for weeks in the summer. From July 16 to August 12 there was almost a month without positive results.
In the weeks that followed, occasional infections occurred again, but the numbers remained low. One case there, two there, then none. While other districts sometimes approached the then widely observed limit of 60 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in two weeks in August, the situation remained calm in the Thur and Necker valleys. But then October came.
The Toggenburg advances from October 5
On October 5, 14 positive tests were recorded in Toggenburg. More than ever before. Looking at the number of cases per 100,000 residents in the last two weeks, the 14-day incidence, the valley caught up with the St. Gallen constituency, surpassed it the next day and began a negative assault. . Since then, Toggenburg has ranked first in the canton of St. Galeno. Indisputable.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the 14-day incidence increased to more than 1,000. As a reminder: not long ago the federal government defined states with a value greater than 60 as risk countries. On Thursday the incidence fell back slightly below 1000. But because the data was last released on Friday, it will not be clear until Monday if the 1000 mark has not been passed. Late registrations are not uncommon.
No known access points
It is not clear where the contagion occurs. The canton of St. Gallen does not know. According to the official statement, there are no exceptional groupings in Toggenburg. Community-level numbers that could possibly give an indication are not updated daily.
However, NZZ was able to conduct an assessment in cooperation with the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). A comparison of the first wave in spring and the second wave (positive tests recorded up to October 16) shows for Toggenburg: more cases were recorded almost everywhere, but only in one municipality that was significant. Extrapolated to 1,000 inhabitants, Hemberg landed in the second highest category. There were between 11.67 and 26.83 cases per 1000 inhabitants. Alone: Hemberg doesn’t even have 1,000 residents. So the absolute number is below 26.83. One hotspot in Hemberg cannot explain the entire increase.
Wil’s constituency was also the favorite
That alleged access point is missing from Wil’s constituency. And yet towards the end of the summer it was something of the forerunner of the Toggenburg. In the second half of September, the Wil region was at the top of the ranking, but at that time with a 14-day incidence of only about 70. At the end of October, the Wil constituency ranked third. But it is still well above the cantonal value and far from the Werdenberg constituency, which has the lowest value at 610.
