Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
Swiss health officials fear an increase in hospitalisations
The rate of coronavirus-related hospitalisations is relatively low right now.
However, the Covid-19 Task Force issued an alert about a probable increase in hospitalisations linked to the fast-spreading and highly contagious Delta variant, which now accounts for nearly 80 percent of cases in Switzerland.
The Task Force based its forecast on the experience of the United Kingdom, where the Delta variant has been predominant for some time.
Since vaccination coverage is lower in Switzerland that in the UK (42 percent versus 52 percent), hospital admissions here are expected to increase sharply in the coming weeks
READ MORE: Delta variant responsible for nearly 80 percent of new cases in Switzerland
About 67 percent of Geneva residents have Covid immunity
Some 67 percent of the Geneva population has developed antibodies against coronavirus, according to a study conducted by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE).
In half of the cases, this immunity is due to infection and in the other half to vaccination.
In December, only 22 percent of Geneva had Covid immunity, so this increase is a positive development.
Among people 75 years and older, immunity reaches 95 percent, but it is lower in younger age groups.
For the study’s authors, however, the immunity level remains too low.
Zurich Airport struggles to deal with fake Covid certificates
The number of forged health passes at the Zurich Airport is growing, as more and more people travelling abroad is increasing steadily.
The airport lacks the resources to check the authenticity of all the certificates, but said that obtaining a falsified document is becoming increasingly easy online, even though the Federal Office of Informatics and Telecommunications claims the document is tamper-proof and no signs of a hacker attack have been spotted.
UPDATED: How to get Switzerland’s Covid-19 health pass
SWISS introduces gender-sensitive greetings
Following the lead of its mother company, Lufthansa, the national flagship carrier is also phasing out its old “Ladies and gentlemen" greeting and using gender-neutral “Dear guests” instead”.
The decision resulted from a wide-ranging discussions focusing on “valuing all passengers.”
“The crews are required to choose a form of address that appeals to all passengers”, the airline said.
EXPLAINED: Why is Switzerland neutral?
Also, SWISS is the first airline flying out of Switzerland with sustainable aviation fuel, which company CEO Dieter Vranckx called “a milestone for Swiss aviation".
SWISS becomes the first commercial airline to fly from Switzerland with sustainable aviation fuel. SWISS CEO Dieter Vranckx: "This is a milestone for Swiss aviation on the sustainability front." More info: https://t.co/eW3jllji8z pic.twitter.com/EFmPa5bbUP
— Swiss Intl Air Lines (@FlySWISS) July 13, 2021
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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Swiss health officials fear an increase in hospitalisations
The rate of coronavirus-related hospitalisations is relatively low right now.
However, the Covid-19 Task Force issued an alert about a probable increase in hospitalisations linked to the fast-spreading and highly contagious Delta variant, which now accounts for nearly 80 percent of cases in Switzerland.
The Task Force based its forecast on the experience of the United Kingdom, where the Delta variant has been predominant for some time.
Since vaccination coverage is lower in Switzerland that in the UK (42 percent versus 52 percent), hospital admissions here are expected to increase sharply in the coming weeks
READ MORE: Delta variant responsible for nearly 80 percent of new cases in Switzerland
About 67 percent of Geneva residents have Covid immunity
Some 67 percent of the Geneva population has developed antibodies against coronavirus, according to a study conducted by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE).
In half of the cases, this immunity is due to infection and in the other half to vaccination.
In December, only 22 percent of Geneva had Covid immunity, so this increase is a positive development.
Among people 75 years and older, immunity reaches 95 percent, but it is lower in younger age groups.
For the study’s authors, however, the immunity level remains too low.
Zurich Airport struggles to deal with fake Covid certificates
The number of forged health passes at the Zurich Airport is growing, as more and more people travelling abroad is increasing steadily.
The airport lacks the resources to check the authenticity of all the certificates, but said that obtaining a falsified document is becoming increasingly easy online, even though the Federal Office of Informatics and Telecommunications claims the document is tamper-proof and no signs of a hacker attack have been spotted.
UPDATED: How to get Switzerland’s Covid-19 health pass
SWISS introduces gender-sensitive greetings
Following the lead of its mother company, Lufthansa, the national flagship carrier is also phasing out its old “Ladies and gentlemen" greeting and using gender-neutral “Dear guests” instead”.
The decision resulted from a wide-ranging discussions focusing on “valuing all passengers.”
“The crews are required to choose a form of address that appeals to all passengers”, the airline said.
EXPLAINED: Why is Switzerland neutral?
Also, SWISS is the first airline flying out of Switzerland with sustainable aviation fuel, which company CEO Dieter Vranckx called “a milestone for Swiss aviation".
SWISS becomes the first commercial airline to fly from Switzerland with sustainable aviation fuel. SWISS CEO Dieter Vranckx: "This is a milestone for Swiss aviation on the sustainability front." More info: https://t.co/eW3jllji8z pic.twitter.com/EFmPa5bbUP
— Swiss Intl Air Lines (@FlySWISS) July 13, 2021
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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