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Switzerland sees Europe’s biggest surge in Covid-19 cases

Europe has seen a huge surge in Covid-19 infections in recent days with Switzerland topping the table for the biggest growth rate.

Published: 16 October 2020 16:31 CEST
Switzerland sees Europe's biggest surge in Covid-19 cases
AFP

Around the world the pandemic has continued to pick up speed over the past  week, with 342,550 new daily cases, an increase of nine percent over the previous week, according to an AFP tally on Friday at 11am GMT.

But it is in Europe that the rate of infections has increased most, spiralling by a huge 44 percent. The number of new average daily cases there is around 121,227, against 84,400 the previous week.

The number of cases also rose in Oceania by 66 percent, in North America by 17 percent and Africa by 16 percent.

However the number of infections has decreased in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the Middle East by 15 percent, as well as in Asia (down by seven percent).

The number of confirmed cases only reflects a fraction of the actual number of infections, as different countries have different counting practices and levels of testing.

Biggest increases

It is in Switzerland where the pandemic is growing most with a 146 percent rise, or 1,771 new daily cases on average, among the countries which have recorded more than 1,000 daily cases over the past week.

Chart from Our World in Data

Belgium follows with 125 percent, or 6,235 cases, Poland (111 percent, 5,472 cases) Italy (106 percent, 6,172 cases) and Slovakia (78 percent, 1,214 cases).

On Friday Switzerland reported another 3,105 new infections, setting a new record for a second consecutive day, albeit the country is carrying out more tests than it did back in the spring when the pandemic first hit.

There have been a total of 74,422 confirmed cases in Switzerland and the neighbouring principality of Liechtenstein. The death toll in the country rose by 5 to 1,823 on Friday. 

 

 

 

Chart from Our World in Data

 

On Thursday the country's health minister warned that the situation was “deteriorating” at an alarming rate.

“We have in recent days faced a new dynamic, which is very negative and very strong,” Alain Berset told reporters. “For the past week, he said “the situation in Switzerland is deteriorating faster than elsewhere.”

The proportion of positive tests in the country has meanwhile jumped from 5.4 to 10.2 percent in the past week.

Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga warned Thursday that a full-blown second wave was looming. “It is five minutes to midnight,” she told reporters, urging everyone in the country to take precautions.

“The swifter we act, the less restrictions there will be for the population, the economy, families and risk groups,” she said, urging everyone to “work together”.

 

 

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HEALTH

Can you avoid high costs of medication in Switzerland by getting drugs abroad?

Most drugs, including generics, are quite a bit cheaper in other countries. But can you have your Swiss prescription filled abroad and bring the meds back?

Published: 3 June 2024 11:30 CEST
Can you avoid high costs of medication in Switzerland by getting drugs abroad?

Not only are medicines more expensive in Switzerland than in many European countries, but their price continues to climb.

For original meds whose patents have expired, Swiss consumers now pay 14.3 percent more than patients abroad.

A year ago, the price difference was 10.8 percent, according to the health insurance association Santésuisse and the group for research-based pharmaceutical companies Interpharma . 

As has been the case for years, the price differences are particularly significant not only for brand drugs, but also for generics and biosimilars.

In a comparison with Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Sweden, the price of generics in Switzerland is 45.3 percent higher, while bio-similars cost nearly 30 percent more.

How is the price of drugs determined in Switzerland?

“The price of medicines covered by statutory basic medical insurance is not set on the open market but through complex state interventions,” according to Interpharma.

The prices of drugs that are reimbursed by the basic insurance are controlled by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

In order to determine the price of a medicinal product, the FOPH first considers the cost of therapy with products authorised to treat the same disease.

It then compares the prices of the same products in other countries with a pharmaceutical industry that is economically comparable to that of Switzerland’s.

The final price of drugs reflects Switzerland’s high-cost economy in general: research and development are more expensive in Switzerland than elsewhere, and production costs are higher as well.

Increasing healthcare premiums are an important factor as well.

And prices are set to increase even further. 

FOPH is adapting a new model for calculating the distribution margin. 

A distribution margin is the difference between the distributor’s cost of acquiring goods and the price at which those goods are sold.

From July 1st, 2024, inexpensive medicines whose factory price is less than, or equal to, 15 francs will become more expensive.

This change will affect more than half of medications currently being sold in Switzerland.

As a result of this move, “additional costs of several hundred million will be passed on to patients,” according to Intergenrika, which represents generic drug manufacturers in Switzerland. 

How much cheaper are medicines in neighbour countries?

Swiss-German news platform 20 Minuten compared the prices of some common drugs in Switzerland and Germany. 

For instance, painkiller Ibuprofen (400 milligrams, 20 tablets), costs €3.45 in Germany and 5.90 francs in Switzerland — a surcharge of 71 percent. 

A box of pantoprazole (a popular drug used to treat gastric reflux) is 12.95 francs in Switzerland compared to around 2.62 euros in Germany – a markup of 394 percent.

Similar price disparities also exist between Swiss drugs and those sold in France and Italy.

Can you import medicines to Switzerland to save money?

According to Switzerland’s drug regulatory agency, Swissmedic, people “may import a month’s supply of medicines into Switzerland for their own use but not for third parties”.

This rule is for both residents and tourists.

This means that you are only allowed to bring medications you will use yourself, and not sell them to others.

What about prescription medications?

While doctor’s orders issued within the European Union are valid throughout the EU, Switzerland is not covered by the agreement on recognition of cross-border prescriptions.

Therefore, pharmacists in neighbour countries — or elsewhere within the EU, for that matter — are not obliged to accept prescriptions from Switzerland.

You will have better luck in the UK, however,

From January 1st, 2021, a prescription issued in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein Norway or Switzerland can be dispensed in the UK if the prescriber is from a medical profession recognised in Britain.

Keep in mind, however, that names of drugs may be different there, so your doctor should write out the prescription accordingly.

Yes, but will your Swiss health insurance pay for the medicines you purchased abroad?

According to FOPH, “the costs will only be reimbursed for medicines that you require because of illness during a temporary stay abroad.”
 
If, on the other hand, you bring in meds for use while in Switzerland, then you must pay for them out of your own pocket.

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