Covid cases rise as Switzerland enters respiratory infection season

Covid-19 cases are increasing in parts of Switzerland as the country enters the autumn season for respiratory infections, SRF reports. Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are still circulating at very low levels, and the Federal Office of Public Health expects the flu wave to begin from mid-December.

The office said it was too early to predict how severe this winter’s waves of influenza, Covid-19 and RSV will be. Their scale depends on factors including population immunity, circulating virus variants and the weather. RSV can cause severe illness, particularly in young children.

Sentinella, the infection monitoring system, has recorded rising Covid-19 activity. Switzerland and Liechtenstein have reported about 120 cases a week in recent weeks, compared with 10 to 20 during most of the summer. The current level remains below that in comparable periods in previous years: more than 500 cases were reported in the first week of October last year. Covid-19 has typically peaked in autumn, while flu and RSV activity has followed in winter. Rhinoviruses, another common cause of autumn colds, are not monitored by Sentinella.

Some flu vaccine manufacturers have reported delays in deliveries to doctors’ practices and pharmacies, the office told Keystone-SDA. Spokesperson Simon Ming said this was a delay, not a shortage, and that there was still enough time for risk groups and the wider population to get vaccinated.