Increase in infections and (very) high number of unreported cases: The corona situation in 7 points

The number of corona cases has been rising steadily and quite significantly for several weeks. On September 27, 16,826 cases were reported in one week, 25,134 a week later, on October 11 35,579 and Tuesday the Federal Public Service of Public Health (BAG) reported 37,032 new infections. An increase of 7.1 percent from the previous week.

Although the numbers are increasing significantly, the BAG also reports today that a large number of unreported cases is assumed. The number of cases only reflects the infection process to a limited extent.

Let’s take a look at current developments.

It has been known for a long time: the number of cases is only a first indicator. Looking at it separately makes little sense for several reasons. Despite the Swiss’s test fatigue, the increase in recent weeks is clear:

But like I said, the bare numbers don’t say much here. Tanja Stadler, the former head of the federal Covid task force, said on Monday she was assuming an undisclosed number of 4 to 6. So if 5,000 positive tests are reported per day, that would be 20,000 to 30,000 per day.

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So the positivity rate is at dizzying heights. Last week it was 40.9 percent. This week at 43.2 percent. The WHO has long announced that to get the most accurate picture of the epidemic situation, the positivity rate should be less than five percent.

The number of tests is also well below the values ​​of previous peak days. At the time, approximately 100,000 people were tested per day, currently the average is just over 10,000 per day. As a result, many infections go undetected.

The trend towards an increase in the viral load is also reflected in the wastewater. Monitoring by the water research institute Eawag has shown more Sars-CoV-2 in the wastewater from the sewage treatment plants Werdholzli ZH, Altenrhein SG and Chur in recent days.

The number of hospital admissions also increased compared to the previous week, but not to the same extent as in the weeks before. There are currently 543 people in hospital, which is 1.3 percent more admissions than in the previous week.

In the current normal situation, the cantons are responsible for ordering measures, such as making face masks mandatory.

The board of the Swiss Health Directors Conference (GDK) will also address the current epidemic situation at its regular meeting on Thursday. Whether the process for recommendations to the cantons will be activated is open, the GDK said on request. The Federal Council itself said in May that it would only intervene again in the event of a “particularly severe pandemic wave” (dangerous virus variant, health system at risk).

The emerging worsening of the corona situation is forcing the first organizations – especially those active in the health sector – to take new measures or expand their existing rules. Companies often fall back on the obligation to wear face masks. For example, there has recently been a “general mask requirement” in the University Hospital of Zurich and in the Cantonal Hospital of Winterthur.

In the cantonal hospital in Aarau, everyone who goes in and out must wear a mask. The cantons of Ticino and Solothurn deal with this in a similar way. Governments there recently made masks mandatory for all hospitals.

Other hospitals have never lifted the mask requirement. For example, the ‘mask requirement in the patient room’ has been in force at the University Hospital Basel since its introduction, says a spokeswoman. The Inselspital Bern has always maintained the obligation to wear a mask when in contact with patients.

The public transport industry currently sees no need for action. Face masks are no longer mandatory since April 1. Several representatives have recently indicated that this topic is not current at the moment. Things are different in Germany: FFP2 masks have been mandatory in long-distance transport since 1 October. The federal states can also extend this to regional transport.

With material from the SDA.