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HEALTH

What is Switzerland doing to prevent coronavirus spreading from Italy?

The southern Swiss canton of Ticino has put in place extensive new measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, although calls to close the border with Italy have been dismissed as ineffective.

What is Switzerland doing to prevent coronavirus spreading from Italy?
Photo: ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP

The Italian-speaking canton, which borders the Italian region of Lombardy which is considered the ‘epicentre’ of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, has stepped up its measures to halt the spread of the virus. 

UPDATE: Seventh coronavirus patient dies in Italy as authorities urge calm

Seven people in Italy have died as a result of the virus. Hundreds have been infected, almost all of which are in the two northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto. 

‘Hour by hour’

A spokesman for the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health told local media that they were concerned about the outbreak in neighbouring Italy, saying the spread of the virus “must now be brought under control by all means”. 

READ: Coronavirus in Italy: Should Switzerland close its southern border?

The Swiss Health Minister said on Tuesday “we are monitoring the situation hour by hour and are well prepared to protect the population”. 

The spokesman said the situation in Italy was being monitored and the planned steps have been in development for several weeks.

As yet, there are no confirmed cases of the virus in Ticino despite more than 300 people examined.  

Photo: ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP

Isolation in hospitals all across Ticino

Hospitals in Ticino are isolating all patients who have shown signs of breathing difficulties or other flu-like symptoms. 

Unlike in previous weeks, this is now being done in all cases – even without patients having taken a trip to China or having had contact with someone infected with the virus in the previous fortnight. 

From Tuesday onwards, patients with suspicious symptoms will be tested and will have their results available within two hours. 

Hotline set up

A hotline has been set up in all national languages to deal with the virus. 

READ: Switzerland sets up coronavirus hotline

Information on the hotline can be found here

As reported in the Swiss daily 20 Minutes, the hotline received 270 reports on Sunday, in addition to 170 on Saturday. 

Heightened awareness

The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health has also launched an information to campaign to allay fears about the virus – as well as to let people know how they should deal with symptoms and prevent the spread. 

Flyers and posters will be produced and placed at airports, train stations and other locations at borders. Public transport staff will be given specific instructions. 

While these measures will apply in Ticino, they’re also set for implementation in Valais and Grisons, which also border Italy. 

Border controls ‘ineffective’ 

The populist Swiss People's Party has called for greater restrictions on border crossings, although these calls have been rejected. 

Although Austria has stopped all trains running across its border with Italy, Switzerland has declined to put in place similar restrictions saying they are ineffective. 

The SBB said that while no special measures have been taken as yet, “we are in close contact with the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and we are following its recommendations”. 

Buses and other traffic have also not been restricted. School trips to Italy in the canton of Vaud have however been postponed. 

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HEALTH

The essential Swiss websites you need to use for health matters

If you just moved to Switzerland (or even if you have lived here for a while), your learning curve about health-related matters in the country may be steep. These sites will help you find the information you need.

The essential Swiss websites you need to use for health matters

Staying healthy is probably one of your top priorities, but doing so in a foreign country is not easy.

That is why having some reliable resources that you can check out and follow will be helpful.

First: The Local

No, we are not doctors, but we have published a number of factual articles over the years about many aspects of healthcare in Switzerland that our readers find helpful.

You can find a compilation of these health-related stories here

Federal Office of Public Health 

Obviously, when it comes to matters of health, the Health Ministry has lots of information that will be relevant to you at one time or another.

Aside from matters of health policy (which is important for all residents of Switzerland), the site also has a regularly updated Infectious Diseases Dashboard to let you know what communicable illnesses are currently circulating in Switzerland — and how to avoid them.

It also provides age-specific health information and recommendations — for instance, for children and teenagers, as well as for the elderly.

Hospital websites

Individual hospitals in your area are good sources of information as well, and many of them are in English.

You can find there general health information, care and treatment options, online emergency room signup, new medical technologies being used, and other patient resources:

Geneva University Hospitals (HUG)

Vaud University Hospital (CHUV)

Zurich University Hospital

Basel University Hospital 

If you live in an area without a university medical centre, your local hospital is also a valuable source of health-related information.

Appointment booking platform

This website is especially useful for people who don’t yet have a doctor in Switzerland but need to set an appointment with one. 

It gives you an option of choosing a specialty and location, and then displays doctor’s names and addresses, background information about them, and which time slots they have available.

You can easily set up an appointment this way.

Your health insurer’s website

This may not be an intuitive choice for impartial information about healthcare but you may be surprised.

For instance, Sanitas insurance site has information about emergency care decisions, and how to void unnecessary medical treatments.

CSS has health information geared specifically to men and women.

Helsana talks about ways to combat stress and sleep problems.

These are just a few examples on what valuable tips you can find on your insurer’s website.

Websites devoted to specific medical conditions

If you seek information about a specific illness — such as treatment options in Switzerland — there are plenty of online resources for that as well.

For instance:

Heart and cardiovascular 

Diabetes 

Osteoporosis 

Mental illness 

General pain 

Other diseases 

Last but not least, while not related to health, these websites will also provide useful information for international residents:

The Swiss websites that can help you save money
 
The most useful website resources to help you get Swiss citizenship 
 
 

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