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HEALTH

Switzerland: Coronavirus deaths top 1,000 despite ‘flattening of the curve’

There have now been more than 1,000 deaths in Switzerland from the coronavirus, while the number of infections across the country is approaching 25,000.

Switzerland: Coronavirus deaths top 1,000 despite ‘flattening of the curve’
Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Although the numbers continue to climb, Swiss authorities are cautiously optimistic as new infections are being detected at a slower rate than at any time since the outbreak began. 

There have now been 24,900 positive tests in Switzerland, with 592 new cases detected from Friday to Saturday. 

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The numbers of new confirmed cases have now not risen above 800 for more than a week, a significant drop after they averaged 1,000 for almost two weeks previously. 

Federal Office of Public Health spokesperson Daniel Koch said the government was cautiously welcoming of the news. 

“We still have between 500 and 700 new cases in the last few days, so the trend is still slightly decreasing, that's the good news.”

Koch urged the public to follow the lockdown rules so that infection rates would continue to fall. 

“That's why it really is the case that everyone has to keep trying and follow the recommended measures so that we can get into a more normal situation sometime in the near future.”

“Things are looking good at the moment. But it is surely too early to say that everything is over.”

“We still have a long way to go. It is important that people know that if we persevere now, it is going in the right direction

Deaths climb above 1,000

There have now been 1,011 deaths in Switzerland due to the coronavirus. 

According to official federal information, more than 190,000 people have now been tested for the virus in Switzerland – meaning that around 15 percent of tests produce a positive result. 

Although Switzerland does not federally measure the number of people who have healed from the virus, cantonal figures put the amount at more than 11,000. 

 

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HEALTH INSURANCE

Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?

The Swiss health system is ranked among the best in the world, but some essentials, like glasses, aren't automatically covered by health insurance. That could soon change, however

Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?

Green Party Federal Councillor Katharina Prelicz-Huber revealed in an interview with newspaper 20 Minuten this week that the Federal Parliament had tabled a motion to include prescription glasses and contact lenses in Switzerland’s mandatory health insurance scheme. 

Prelicz-Huber stated: “The purpose of compulsory health insurance is to provide the services you need to get or stay healthy,”

The motion forms part of the legislation that will be voted on during the 2024 summer session of the Federal Council. 

Proposed changes 

According to Switzerland’s peak optician body, 4 in 5 Swiss wear glasses or contact lenses at some point. 

It’s no surprise that statistics repository, Statista, projects the Swiss eyewear industry to be worth €1.37 billion by 2028. 

Currently, glasses and contact lenses are covered for up to 180 francs for children until age eighteen, if they are proscribed by a doctor.

Adults can also claim money back for glasses and contact lenses – however, they must be suffering from one of a short list of specific conditions such as keratoconus – where the cornea is distorted – or severe myopia, otherwise known as near-sightedness.

They must also have been specifically prescribed them by a doctor or optometrist. 

Otherwise, supplemental optical insurance must be purchased in Switzerland to ensure you can recoup the cost. 

Under the Green Party proposal, glasses, contact lenses, and other visual aids would be covered, regardless of age. 

Rising premiums prompt opposition 

Not everybody agrees with the proposal. 

The right-wing SVP has already spoken out against it, with Federal Councillor Diana Gutjahr arguing: “If we seriously want to slow down the burdensome and constantly rising health costs for the benefit of the population, we [must] show the political will not to constantly expand the benefits of compulsory health insurance.”

A spokesman for the the health insurance advocacy group Santesuisse, Matthias Müller, echoed Gutjahr, claiming that insurance constitutes “financing for extraordinary events such as illness.”

“If almost everyone benefits from a certain service, it is no longer an insurance benefit.”

A date for the vote has yet to be announced. 

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