Number of Covid-19 cases in Switzerland increases at a low level
Published: Tuesday, Jul 23rd 2024, 17:00
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The number of laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases in Switzerland has increased at a low level in recent weeks. In the week from July 8 to 14, 484 new cases were registered. However, according to the Federal Office of Public Health, the number of people hospitalized due to Covid-19 "remains very low".
The reason for the increase in infections by around 50 percent over the past four weeks is, on the one hand, that the immunity acquired through previous infections is gradually waning among Swiss residents. This was stated on Tuesday by Simon Ming, media spokesperson for the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) on request.
On the other hand, there are the new virus variants KP.2 and KP.3, which have new mutations that enable them to better circumvent the existing immune defenses. However, the new variants did not show a more severe course of disease than previous Omikron variants of the coronavirus.
According to Ming, the 484 cases involve patients who are seriously ill with acute respiratory symptoms and in whom Sars-Cov-2 has been detected in the laboratory tests ordered.
With this information, FOPH media spokesperson Ming confirmed a report by the French-speaking Swiss radio and television station RTS on its website. At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2022, the FOPH recorded up to 250,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases per week. Last winter, there was a small corona wave in Switzerland with a maximum of 3715 confirmed cases per week.
West more affected than East
According to the FOPH's website, western and north-western Switzerland are particularly affected by the new, small Covid-19 wave. For the canton of Jura, the FOPH reports 14.89 laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the week before July 14.
There were 12.7 cases in the canton of Basel-Stadt and just under ten in Vaud and the canton of Geneva. In eastern Switzerland, the number is much lower and the national figure is 5.49 cases per 100,000 people. Covid-19 is mainly detected in people over 65. The second most affected age category is infants under the age of four.
It is still a good idea to wash your hands regularly, cough or sneeze into a handkerchief or the crook of your arm and wear a mask if necessary, according to the FOPH. If you have symptoms of a cold, avoid contact with people who are particularly at risk. If you are ill, you should stay at home.
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