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The authorities are reacting to the second wave. The Federal Office of Public Health describes the situation as very serious. The Federal Council will hold an extraordinary meeting on Sunday.
Technical experts from the federal government, cantons, and science provide information on the latest Covid-19 situation.
The crisis mood returns. The contagion figures are skyrocketing. On Friday, they rose to 3,105 cases. With immediate effect, the federal government and the cantons will once again provide information on the Covid-19 situation twice a week at “points de presse”. The population can follow the performance live on television and the Internet. Switzerland is under the impact of the second wave of the corona pandemic.
Virginie Masserey, head of the Infection Control Section at the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), described the current situation as very serious. In addition to new infections, hospitalizations are also increasing. The contagion figures continue to affect mainly young people, but there is also an increasing trend in all other age groups. Masserey repeated the central message of the authorities: distance, hygiene and masks are necessary because contagious people do not necessarily have to present symptoms.
“Every day counts”
Corona Scientific Task Force Chairman Martin Ackermann became clearer. The number of cases is a “shock” and a “wake-up call”. Things should change now. Ackermann named a restriction on the size of the meeting, masks inside, and a clear recommendation for the home office whenever possible as central measures to control the situation. However, he didn’t seem very confident in his comments.
The working group made alarming forecasts for the future development of the FOPH and the cantons. If the measures weren’t introduced across the board until next Friday, new infections are still expected by a factor of four compared to today, a week later, Ackermann told the media. He cited an additional 12,000 cases per day as a peak.
The development in Switzerland is very reminiscent of the contagion explosion in the Netherlands. There, the government is trying to control the situation with a partial blockade. The gastronomy is closed, in the private apartments only three guests can be received at a time. This is not yet necessary in Switzerland, said the chairman of the Corona Scientific Working Group. But every day counts now.
The reason for the rapid increase in the number of cases appears to be the change of season. It’s colder again, life returns inside. According to Ackermann, it was assumed in the summer that only the largest droplets were the main carriers. However, recent studies suggested that aerosols played a larger role in transmission than expected. One is currently in the process of addressing this issue. Aerosols are particles in suspension that can serve as a means of transporting viruses.
Private parties as virus launchers
The president of the Cantonal Conference of Physicians, Rudolf Hauri, identified many small celebrations and private celebrations as one of the reasons for the current dynamics. Choral music and brass rehearsals can also be transmitters of viruses, according to information provided by the doctor from the canton of Zug. When asked, he noted that the cantonal health service had made contingency plans so that hospitals did not reach their capacity limits in the event of a massive increase in admissions from Covid-19. Additionally, the Civil Guards are now on duty to assist with contact tracing. However, their limited run times are a problem.
At the same time as the “point de presse” at the Federal Media Center, the board of the cantonal conference of health directors (GDK), which had met in the Chamber of Cantons in the presence of Federal Councilor Alain Berset, provided information on recommendations to the federal government and the cantons. Contact tracing must be maintained. The GDK board also stated that the cantons and hospitals had taken precautions to ensure intensive medical care and treatment. If necessary, mutual aid will be provided beyond the borders of the canton.
The obligation to wear a mask in sales rooms and public spaces should apply across the board. The state government should mandate this measure at the federal level and also reactivate the recommendation for the central office. This could prevent contacts while traveling and at work. GDK’s board also urges the federal government to immediately adopt uniform rules for public and private assemblies, it wrote in the press release on Friday. The maximum numbers are intended to ensure that normal life for family and friends remains possible.
Second vaccine contract
According to information from various media, the state government will hold an extraordinary meeting on Sunday. This has since been confirmed. Obviously, the proposed measures must be decided and implemented as soon as possible. It was not known on Friday whether an ad hoc crisis team would be re-created at the federal level. The Confederation can order measures for the whole of Switzerland in the framework of the special situation in accordance with the Law of Epidemics. In addition, it could, for example, decide to close borders through the Covid-19 law.
Meanwhile, the canton of Schwyz remains the stronghold of the virus in central Switzerland. The Department of the Interior reported that 110 people tested positive on Friday. Two men, ages 91 and 93, have died. At the beginning of the week, a call for help from Schwyz Hospital made headlines. The head of internal medicine addressed the public on YouTube. I couldn’t go on like this anymore.
The yodel musical “Uf immer und Ewig” could have been the superpreader event that caused Schwyz’s infection rate to skyrocket. Since the cantons around Lake Lucerne were not greatly affected by the first wave, the population was probably seduced by some oversight. Authorities also initially reacted hesitantly with countermeasures to new infections.
On Friday, the federal government announced that it had signed a contract with a second company to be able to vaccinate the population as quickly as possible. The Federal Council has signed a contract with the Swedish government and the British company Astra Zeneca for the delivery of up to 5.3 million cans. It is not yet clear which vaccine will prevail, writes BAG in a press release. The light at the end of the tunnel is not in sight until a vaccine is approved. The crown marathon continues.
