[Megathread] Covid-19 in Switzerland & Elsewhere – Thread #15

26 comments

1. On a sidenote:

   To absolutely no intelligent person’s surprise, [a new research study](https://www.pnas.org/content/118/49/e2110117118#F4) shows (again) that FFP2 masks protect 75 times better than those surgical masks that we see everywhere. (Yes, 75 times. Not 75%)

   Yet the BAG still refuses to recommend or even require FFP2 masks to the public. (According to their website, they only *recommend* FFP2 for “directly exposed health professionals who work with Covid-19 positive persons that pose a high risk of creating aerosoles”. In other words: If you work with a Covid patient in the ICU station you are recommended to wear FFP2. Otherwise the BAG thinks that surgical masks who are completely ineffective in comparison are good enough for you.)

   In comparison: In Bavaria they not only recommended but required FFP2 masks in public transports, grocery stores etc. already in January 2021. Almost a year ago.

   ​

   The way in which the BAG not only refuses to use common sense but also ignores most sicentific research is simply unexcuseable.

2. About the new emergency decisions about mandating a PCR test for entering Switzerland there are some derogation for specific people (i.e. from Grenzgebiete don’t have to do this PCR test), some news networks say that this derogation count only for frontaliers and some other say that they count for frontaliers AND for resident people that happen to be in the border area. My parents (who are CH residents) went to Lombardy for a couple of days to visit my grandma and should be returning tomorrow in CH, but all PCR pharmacies are closed. Do they have to necessarily make the pcr or not?

3. Can anyone recommend a testing site for a rapid antigen test in Zurich? We’ll be visiting in a few weeks and will leave before 4 days but still need one to get into Italy.

4. I’m vaccinated and flying into Geneva in two weeks for holiday – does anyone know if I need an additional test (outside of the PCR before boarding) if I’m only in Switzerland for a day before heading to Chamonix for a week and then only returning to Switzerland to fly out of Zurich?

   It seems like with the new requirement if I’m in the country for less than 4 days that I would be exempt from the test but would love some clarification on this.

5. Well, the confederation apparently absolutely doesn’t care about Swiss people living abroad. As long as you give money for the test to them as soon as you crossed the border they’re fine with it though. Of course the inside of Switzerland is clean and pure as the water of a mountain stream so there is no need for any restriction, but those dirty outsiders…

6. Just wondering, are booster vaccines available now for the people in switzerland?
   or it depends on the canton. I currently live in lausanne

7. Looking for some data on vaccination status and age on ICU covid patients.

   On the bag site
   [https://www.covid19.admin.ch/de/vaccination/status?vaccStatusDevRel=rel&vaccStatusAgeRange=60-69](https://www.covid19.admin.ch/de/vaccination/status?vaccStatusDevRel=rel&vaccStatusAgeRange=60-69)
   they have this info for hospitalizations. But in my opinion the main question is the vaccination status (and maybe other driving factors such as age) on ICU patients, as that’s where the bottleneck is.

   Trying to find some simple numbers to maybe un-schwurbel my father..

   Any help welcome! Thanks

8. I recovered from Covid + got one vaccine. The appointment for the 2nd dose got automatically deleted. The country I’m going for vacation recently introduced the need for two doses, recovered or not does not matter. I can’t get a appointment on vaccme since I’m not due yet (it says 6 months after I got the jab). What options do I have? Walk-ins should work, but there are probably many other people waiting. Is the Impftram a solution? If they vaccinate me, will it change from 1 to 2 dose on my covid certificate? Unfortunately the ZH hotline was not sure if the Impftrams are able to do it…

9. So, I just landed in Zurich airport, and noone even bothered to check the tests. The airline let anyone board, didn’t matter if they were tested or not.

   What is the point of introducing new measures if they don’t even enforce them? What is the point in paying even more money for the second tests? Who do I even report it to?

10. There are several test tents outside of popular establishments like restaurants and bars. Are the test results from those ($20 for antigen) valid for the day 4-7 test requirement?

11. Wil the schools close early for Christmas?

    I think they might. Local school has some classes where 50% are off, tested positive, school in next village is similar. Private schools in Geneva are getting hit too, recently in the news.

    Would it help to close early? Certainly not a help to working parents but would it break the chain.

    Do we care any more?

12. For those that still doubt whether vaccines work, here a summary of the numbers again: [https://www.watson.ch/schweiz/wissen/847531164-seit-impfbeginn-sind-14-geimpfte-verstorben-und-437-ungeimpfte](https://www.watson.ch/schweiz/wissen/847531164-seit-impfbeginn-sind-14-geimpfte-verstorben-und-437-ungeimpfte)

    I guess I am preaching to the choir here. And if there is someone still in doubt, these numbers won’t change their mind. I am trying anyways.

13. **6.12.**

    * New Cases: **7’963** | +23% 7 days ago | +24% last 7 days | +83% last 14 days

    * Hospitalizations: 60 | +17%

    * Deaths: 13 | +11%

    Current hospital capacity:

    * ICU: 79% (+2) | 30% (+5) due to Covid

    * Hospital: 79% (-1) | 7% (+2) due to Covid

    Vaccinations:

    * 66.1% fully vaccinated | 1.6% partly vaccinated | 75.2% over 12yr olds

    * 8.5% boostered | 36.0% over 65yr olds

14. Do you think they will make Work-From-Home mandatory? I feel really uncomfortable fully vaccinated still going in, especially during peak waves

15. >Die Kosten für die Covid-19-Tests sollen wieder vom Bund übernommen werden. Das bedeutet, dass auch die Schnelltests zum Erlangen eines Zertifikats wieder gratis werden, wie «SRF» berichtet. Nach dem Nationalrat hat sich am Montag auch der Ständerat dafür ausgesprochen.

    As long we have 2G from next week on, I’m okay with this.

16. **7.12.**

    * New Cases: **9’571** | +14% 7 days ago | +21% last 7 days | +78% last 14 days

    * Hospitalizations: 125 | -9%

    * Deaths: 28 | +27%

    Current hospital capacity:

    * ICU: 80% (+1) | 31% (+4) due to Covid

    * Hospital: 81% (-2) | 7% (+1) due to Covid

    Variants:

    * Delta: 96%

    * Omikron: 4%

17. I think we just solved the crisis with our tried and true secret weapon:

    > **Neue Plakate vom BAG**

    > Masserey betont, dass es Massnahmen brauche, um die Epidemiologie einzuschränken. Sonst könnte die Situation viel schlimmer werden. Sie sagt, dass es wichtig sei, dass sich viele Testen lassen, um keine anderen Personen in Gefahr zu bringen. Weiter stellt sie die neue Kampagne des Bundes vor, welche die Bevölkerung dafür sensibilisieren soll, die Corona-Massnahmen einzuhalten. Der Hintergrund ist orange und soll bedeuten: Die Lage ist ernst.

    Is this the result of “We are all out of ideas”, “There are no bad ideas” or “Nobody is allowed to go home until we come up with something, no matter what”?

18. The spinning of the “It’s everyones fault”-narrative continues as usual.

    Don’t forget people, if shit really hits the fan, it’s your fault, not the government’s which wasn’t willing to take some real action:

    > Es sei derzeit nicht angebracht, Schuldzuweisungen zu machen, sagt der oberste Kantonsarzt der Schweiz. «Es liegt am Verhalten von uns allen, die Lage wieder in gewohnte Bahnen zu bringen», sagt Rudolf Hauri.

    Seriously, are there no journalists ever calling them out on this kind of bs or am I just missing that? I don’t just want to rant with this message, I’m really curious.

19. For how long do you think the pcr-thing for travelling even for vaxxed people will go on? Are there any chances that by Xmas my family from IT can visit me without testing

20. >Wenn Personen ohne Symptome einen Corona-Test machen, um ein Zertifikat zu erlangen, muss der Bund künftig die Kosten dafür übernehmen.

    To quote our capitan onion:
    The stuff they’re smoking must be good.

    Except they’re planing 2G anyways.

21. 50% Omicron cases by Christmas, yes or no?

22. **8.12.**

    * New Cases: **12’598** | +20% 7 days ago | +21% last 7 days | +73% last 14 days

    * Hospitalizations: 113 | -19%

    * Deaths: 34 | +55%

    Current hospital capacity:

    * ICU: 82% (+1) | 31% (+4) due to Covid

    * Hospital: 84% (-1) | 7% (+1) due to Covid

23. Early signs are pointing to [vaccine updates](https://www.spektrum.de/news/corona-variante-omikron-entkommt-immunschutz-nicht-vollstaendig/1958815) for the omicron variant.

    Another chance for the Swiss crisis management to not get going. I’m thinking we could really delay approving them, wait really long for a better price for buying them, not recommend taking them, or just not get ready to administer them. Maybe even spend another year talking to Freiheitstrychler instead. Lots of ways to go!

24. I see things like this all the time now (from watson’s live ticker):

    “Wie der Kanton Bern am Mittwoch mitteilte, machen in Berner Spitälern die Ungeimpften auf den normalen Pflegestationen gut 60 Prozent der Covid-Kranken aus. Auf den Intensivstationen betrage ihr Anteil 80 Prozent. Drei Viertel der am Mittwoch gemeldeten Neuinfizierten im Kanton Bern seien ungeimpft.”

    And every time I get more frustrated, feel sorry for the health personnel, and feel sorry for all those that played responsibly and by the rules, but still got screwed because of all the “I don’t need a vaccine, my immune system is strong” or whatever stupid excuse I have heard before.

    Disappointing times we live in.

25. [Rules for thee but not for me, am I right?](https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/credit-suisse-says-chairman-broke-swiss-quarantine-rules-2021-12-08/)

26. Switzerland has the worst booster quota in Western Europe (and also a lot of Eastern Europe did better):

    [https://imgur.com/a/EONTbaw](https://imgur.com/a/EONTbaw)

    Once again the inexcusable slowness and hesitancy with which our “leadership” reacts to the scientific findings costs us a lot.

    But instead of learning from their repeated mistakes, they spend their energy on making ridiculous claims about how solid their work is and that nobody could have anticipated this and that…