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HEALTH

What we know about the victims of the coronavirus pandemic in Switzerland

The coronavirus has touched lives in every Swiss canton. From age to gender, here's what we know about the victims.

What we know about the victims of the coronavirus pandemic in Switzerland
Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

This article was updated on Thursday, June 25th 

As at Thursday, June 25th, more than 31,400 people have been confirmed as contracting the coronavirus, with every one of Switzerland’s 26 cantons recording confirmed cases. 

There have been 1,958 confirmed deaths, according to reports from the cantons – while 29,000 people have been confirmed to have recovered from the virus. 

What should I do if I have coronavirus symptoms in Switzerland? 

Who has the virus hit hardest?

The coronavirus poses a higher risk to certain sections of the population. All over the world, men have been at a higher risk, a statistic which is also seen in Switzerland. 

In Switzerland, 58 percent of those who have died in Switzerland are men and 42 are women. 

Similarly, the virus has hit those in 'at risk' categories the hardest. 

People considered to be at a greater risk of complications from the virus are people over 65 years of age, people with high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, diseases and therapies that weaken the immune system and cancer.

This is reflected in the victim data. Note that this is correct as at Thursday, June 25th and may change as more people contract the virus. 

The median age of those who have passed away from the virus in Switzerland is 84 years. Of those who have died from the virus, 97 percent were suffering from one or more pre-existing conditions. 

According to data from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, the most common condition suffered by the deceased is high blood pressure, which affected 63 percent of the deceased. 

Just over one half – 57 percent – suffered from cardiovascular diseases, while 26 percent suffered from diabetes. 

Who has been infected by the virus in Switzerland? 

Age is a major factor in dying from the virus; however people of all ages have been infected in Switzerland. 

Children between the ages of zero and nine – while at a lower risk of death and serious complications – are still contracting the virus in Switzerland, with 205 confirmed cases.

The next age group – ten-19-years-old – sees 942 confirmed cases, while 3,999 cases have been confirmed for those between 20-29. 

The figure is slightly higher for people in their 30s and 40s, with 4,258 and 4,893 people confirmed in those age brackets respectively. 

The most affected group in Switzerland is between the ages of 50-59, where 6,339 have been infected. 

Those in their 60s (3,723), 70s (2,923) and aged 80 or older (4,120) have also been heavily affected. 

Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Who has died from the virus in Switzerland? 

The true dangers of the coronavirus can be seen by looking at mortality rates in Switzerland. 

Only one person under the age of 30 has died from the virus, an infant in the canton of Aargau

Five people in their 30s have passed away – a mortality rate of 0.12 percent. 

Four people in their 40s in Switzerland has passed away from the virus – giving rise to a mortality rate of 0.08 percent.

While people in their 50s are the heaviest affected in terms of infections, there has been a relatively low death rate – with only 41 people in this age bracket dying due to the virus, or a mortality rate of 0.65 percent. 

The death rates jump up for people in their 60s, with 125 people passing away (mortality rate of 3.35 percent), while 339 people in their 70s have died from coronavirus (mortality rate of 11.59 percent). 

Swiss residents above 80 have been the heaviest hit however, with 1,167 people 80 or older passing away. This means that in Switzerland people over the age of 80 have a mortality rate of 28.45 percent. 

Where has the virus hit hardest? 

On Thursday, June 25th, the canton of Ticino, which borders hard-hit northern Italy, has been heavily impacted by the outbreak, counting more than 3,300 cases. The number of deaths in the canton is at 350. 

This means that Ticino has just under one quarter of the country's total death toll, despite having just four percent of the population. 

The western cantons of Vaud and Geneva have the most infections of any Swiss canton, with 5,500 and 5,200 respectively – approximately a third of the country's total cases.

In total, 420 people have died in Vaud and 293 in Geneva due to the virus.

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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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