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The population of Switzerland cannot be assessed enough. Therefore, the federal government has launched a new campaign. Scientists also recommend making the tests more attractive.
Yverdon-les-Bains test road: Many cantons have improved access to Covid tests, but the number of tests is less than experts recommend.
Photo: Laurent Gilliéron (Keystone)
The target value is 5 percent, but the current Swiss average is above 20 percent: the proportion of corona positive tests is more than four times higher than recommended by the World Health Organization.
This is a hotly debated topic among experts because it fuels the suspicion that many Covid cases remain undetected and the numbers overlook the situation (read here the assessment of virologist Emma Hodcroft). Previous calls for more tests didn’t change things: the number has been dropping steadily since the beginning of November, although there is sufficient capacity available thanks to rapid tests. The positivity rate tends to decrease, but not enough.
Scientists are now launching new proposals on how the Swiss population could be induced to take more samples. “The tests have to be more attractive,” says Jan Fehr, director of the test center at the University of Zurich and professor of travel medicine and public health. Apparently, several obstacles still prevent many from getting tested, although both the general public and the individual benefit: Society benefits if the crown situation is better controlled before the holidays, which streamlines family reunions and revive the economy. People benefit because they know their infection status, and if the test is negative, they can find people at risk in their environment with fewer concerns.
Does quarantine deter testing?
One hurdle to testing, however, is that close contacts must go through a 10-day quarantine if they are infected. To alleviate such concerns, Fehr has launched a public debate on the duration of the protection measure. “You could definitely consider shortening the quarantine under certain conditions, combined with repeat testing,” says Fehr. “This debate was started by the Working Group in October, but fell asleep again. Now we should get back to the ball and see what the research can contribute. “
Epidemiologists at ETH calculated in October that the effort-benefit ratio is highest when the quarantine ends after seven days, if a test on the fifth day is negative. The quarantine currently lasts ten days, test or not. Because the number of cases soared in October, no quarantine shortening was indicated at the time, Fehr says.
“It hurts if the test frequency drops so much that we no longer have a good picture of what is happening.”
But now the question of how to balance the different measures must be asked again. “It hurts if the test frequency drops so much that we no longer have a good picture of what is happening,” says Fehr. “People have to support the strategy, we must not lose it. The winter will last a long time. “There is also a need to better compensate testing providers. Preparation, counseling and follow-up cost much more than the CHF 27.50 the federal government currently pays for sampling and medical consultation.
The task force recently raised the question of the correct duration of the quarantine. In a document so far hardly publicly discussed with “Considerations on scalability and effectiveness” of the Covid strategy, it recommended on November 10 that the “possibility of early release from quarantine” be envisaged, specifically after a negative test. Furthermore, people in quarantine should not only receive compensation for income, usually 80 percent of their salary, but the full amount.
The cantons have improved contact tracing
The cantons also see a problem with quarantine, but they do not want to shorten it. “The willingness to isolate, quarantine or undergo tests appears to decline as the epidemic continues,” says Tobias Bär, spokesman for the conference of health directors. A large part of the population continues to support the current strategy, and it remains central.
“With isolation and quarantine, the chains of infection can be broken,” says Bär. The cantons have made great efforts to improve contact tracing and in many places it is back to the required quality. Furthermore, with a quarantine duration of ten days, Switzerland is at the lower end of an international comparison.
Every two people must go to the test after an online verification
The cantons and the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) have no further explanation for the high positivity rate. “We have no evidence that testing criteria are a reason for the decrease in testing numbers,” says spokesman Daniel Dauwalder. “Not even access to tests, which is currently satisfactory; the testing centers are not overcrowded and there is enough evidence available. “The BAG also has” a dataless explanation “for the positivity rate, which fluctuates from one canton to another.
For population quarantine or test fatigue, the FOPH does not have “data-driven information.” However, the hits are in the Corona check online The BAG has since fallen significantly again after peaking in early November. Obviously, verification would be helpful: 56 percent of the people who completed the questionnaire received the recommendation to take the test.
